Idaho football game ended after Bundy refuses to wear mask

EMMETT, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho high school football game was canceled after anti-government activist Ammon Bundy refused to wear a mask or leave school grounds.

The game Friday in Caldwell between the Emmett Huskies and Caldwell Cougars was called off after Bundy refused to wear a mask in violation of coronavirus health protocols, KTVB-TV reported.

The Emmett resident ignored a request by school officials to wear a mask in the stands and then moved to a fence near the field to continue watching the game.

A school principal and athletic director repeatedly asked the 44-year-old to wear a mask and then requested that police arrest Bundy for trespassing, authorities said.

Officers told school officials they would not arrest or remove Bundy because he "wasn't out of control and didn't appear to be a threat to anybody."

School officials canceled the game at halftime after Bundy refused school and police requests to leave the property.

Police said they planned to submit a report to the Canyon County prosecutor.

Bundy led a 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon as a show of support for state rights, planning to dissolve the federally-managed refuge. He and others were ultimately arrested, ending the 41-day occupation. Bundy was acquitted of all federal charges by an Oregon jury.

Bundy was arrested twice in two days in August for protests at the Idaho Legislature.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.