Hundreds of protestors took over AIA and Las Olas Boulevard Saturday for the Million Maskless March.
The event protested the use of face masks one year after they became mandatory in Broward County.
Many protestors were carrying American flags and Trump 2020 flags.
At one point, the protest moved from the beach and became a march down A1A.
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Many protestors say they don’t believe the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or trust the science which states that wearing face coverings can lower a person’s chances of catching COVID-19.
“It’s just freedom of speech,” said protestor Francis Ferrer. “We’re just expressing our disagreement with what we’re being forced to do in a lot of places and it’s just wrong. It’s wrong.”
“No masks,” said protestor Sandra Chase. “They don’t work and everyone knows that they don’t work. Their time has come and gone and they’re just trying to lock people down. It’s all political.”
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“I don’t think anyone should be told they need to wear masks because no, that cuts off your oxygen supply and really affects your health,” said Marni, a protestor.
“We all should have the right to decide for ourselves what’s best for our family within terms of breathing and such and what we put inside of our bodies.”
Several health experts and scientists have said wearing face coverings can help shield someone against COVID-19.
The CDC has long advised people to wear masks because they help prevent people who are infected — whether they know it or not — from spreading the coronavirus.
The CDC also said masks can also protect wearers who are not infected, though to a lesser degree.
The agency referred to a study led by Japanese researchers that found masks block about 60% of the amount of virus that comes out of an infected person. When an uninfected person wearing a mask is near an infected person who isn't wearing one, the amount of virus the uninfected person inhaled fell by up to 50%.
