Alaska Lawmaker Barred From Flying Over Mask Rules Has Covid

• Oct. 14, 2021, 5:41 p.m. ET

An Alaska lawmaker who was barred from Alaska Airlines flights aft she defied a national mandate requiring passengers to deterioration masks disclosed this week that she had tested affirmative for the coronavirus.

The lawmaker, Lora Reinbold, a Republican authorities legislator who has besides been a vocal professional of vaccine mandates, said connected Facebook that she had been exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19, the unwellness caused by the virus.

Her revelation came arsenic Alaska has been grappling with its worst coronavirus surge of the pandemic.

“It’s my crook to conflict Covid caput on… crippled on!” Ms. Reinbold wrote connected Tuesday. “Who bash you deliberation is going to win? When I decision it, I volition archer you my recipe.”

Ms. Reinbold, 57, drew wide attraction successful April aft a video emerged of her arguing with employees astatine Juneau International Airport astir the disguise rule.

The speech prompted Alaska Airlines to barroom Ms. Reinbold from its flights, a determination that was aboriginal upheld. As agelong arsenic the national disguise mandate is successful spot — it was extended until Jan. 18, 2022 — Ms. Reinbold volition beryllium banned from Alaska Airlines flights, the bearer said successful an email connected Thursday.

Unable to alert from her territory to Juneau, the authorities capital, a travel that could instrumentality more than 19 hours by car and ferry, Ms. Reinbold, who represents Eagle River, Alaska, asked past period to beryllium excused from legislative sessions until adjacent year. The Republican-led Senate accepted her petition without objection.

A legislative adjutant for Ms. Reinbold, who antecedently called the airline’s prohibition “mask tyranny,” did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Thursday.

In her Facebook post, Ms. Reinbold revealed that she was “blessed” to person obtained ivermectin, a cause typically utilized to dainty parasitic worms successful livestock, which she called the “de-covider.”

In August, the Food and Drug Administration warned that ivermectin should not beryllium taken to dainty oregon forestall Covid-19. Demand for the cause has surged, with Fox News promoting the findings of studies astir its usage against Covid-19.

The lawmaker said that she was taking “lots of vitamins” and quercetin, 1 of a ample people of compounds called flavonols that are recovered successful fruits and vegetables.

“My Vicks steamer has been a God send!” she added.

Speaking connected the level of the Alaska State Senate past month, Ms. Reinbold continued to instrumentality a defiant stance against the national disguise mandate.

“The governmental prohibition is inactive successful spot arsenic agelong arsenic Biden’s illegitimate disguise mandate is successful spot connected backstage and nationalist transportation,” she said.

In August, the Transportation Security Administration extended a look disguise request astatine airports and connected airplanes, commuter buses and trains done Jan. 18. Last period it doubled fines for travelers who garbage to deterioration masks successful airports and connected commercialized airplanes.

The determination came amid a surge successful hose complaints of unruly passengers and adjacent convulsive confrontations betwixt travelers and formation attendants, immoderate of which person been precipitated by disputes implicit wearing masks.

Ms. Reinbold alluded to Alaska’s caller emergence successful infections and hospitalizations successful her Facebook post.

“I program to support my committedness to enactment OUT of the hospital,” she wrote. “Some of them look similar scary places these days.”

In a consequent Facebook post connected Thursday, Ms. Reinbold said that her flulike symptoms — including a fever, musculus aches and a sore pharynx — were subsiding, but that she inactive had a mild cough and had not regained each of her energy.

“I judge determination is simply a zero accidental of maine going to hospital,” she wrote.