Wyoming board member sorry for ‘stupid’ coronavirus comments

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A school board member apologized Monday for his "stupid" comments about people from Wyoming who have died from the coronavirus pandemic.

At a meeting with health officials last week, board member Kevin Christopherson said the majority of the 21 Wyomingites who have died from the coronavirus "were going to die. They just died sooner," the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Christopherson made the comments as the board walked through its plan to reopen schools in the fall, which call for face coverings to be worn whenever students and staff can't stay six feet away from each other. Christopherson said at the meeting that the need for face coverings is "overblown."

On Monday, Christopherson told the Star-Tribune he'd "be pissed at me, too" for his comments.

"It sounds horrible, and I didn't mean it that way," he said. "I need to apologize to anyone that I offended. That's not who I am."