SAN ANTONIO — A jump in the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 did not stop protesters from demanding a choice in whether their kids should wear masks at school.
"It's like our choices for our children, and their wellbeing are trumped by other peoples' opinion," Jennifer Lambert said.
The mother of four is a survivor of a mild bout with the coronavirus. She dealt with a loss of smell and taste.
That didn't displace her fire over where she stands over government mandates involving her children.
"We don't want to play by these rules that don't make sense," she said.
Lambert joined nearly 100 protesters outside of the Bexar County Courthouse on Friday.
They are frustrated over Bexar County and San Antonio's mandatory requirement for all students in Bexar County to wear a mask to mitigate the surge in COVID-19 infections, exacerbated by a more contagious delta variant.
"I get it. I understand your fear, and I support you. Even if we don't share (the same opinion)," Lambert said. "I support you as a human."
Speeches from parents and grandparents who brought children to the protest blared out from a bullhorn downtown.
The effort, which sprouted from a local mom's Facebook group, rallied into signs reading messages like "Ends when we say all say no," 'Masks are my choice," and "Unmask our children."
According to the protesters, the mandate steps on their constitutional rights. They said it also stunts their kids' learning and social development and believes their childrens' risk does not warrant the action.
Grandmother Patty Gibbons even questions whether city and county leaders have a grasp of the facts when it comes to the coronavirus. She said school kids are coming off a disastrous academic year, and the masks are signs of going back in a pandemic jail cell.
"They're hot. They can't breathe," Gibbons said. "One mother says their child came home with noodles in the mask from lunch, and didn't know how to deal with it."
But mother and pediatrician Sharvari Parghi said the delta variant of COVID-19 is too deadly and contagious to debate. She points to the stress on hospitals, their staff and the growing number of unvaccinated patients, which includes children.
"Before, we used to say kids are sort of spared. We don't know why?" Parghi said. "They're definitely not being spared, and they're getting sick with COVID."
She said getting vaccinated, following the science and wearing masks is not only what she's recommending; it's what her family is doing.
"The decision that has been made it is for the safety of kids in our community," Parghi said. "And I know it seems like it's your choice is being taken away. This is where we need to come together and look for the greater good."
Parghi, a pediatrician since 2005, said medical staff is enduring the grueling consequences of unscientific choices. She said well-fitting masks are not a hindrance to kids at school.
"We thought, 'Who's going to wear a mask they are not going to keep it on?' Then there's the concern that, 'Is it going to affect their socialization?'" Parghi said. "Are they going to be able to (have) language development, interact and thus forth? Studies have shown kids are actually better than we are."
In a statement, Mayor Ron Nirenberg reacted to the protest and crowd of frustrated parents.
"Public health professionals from the federal level to local doctors say wearing a mask helps reduce the spread of COVID-19," Nirenberg said. "That’s why it is important, particularly for the unvaccinated."
The mayor also said, "Wearing a mask is a small inconvenience that will save lives and avoid hospitalizations. This isn’t an infringement on personal freedom. It is a way for us to protect each other from a deadly disease."
Lambert realizes the protest might cause division. It's a sacrifice she says she's willing to make for a shot at choice.
"I'm done with being divided," she said. "I don't want to be divided."
On the protest, County Judge Nelson Wolff said in a statement:
“I am appreciative of the public expressing their views in a peaceful and respectful manner.”