Brian Kemp’s anti-mask policy results in Georgia professor quitting mid-class: report

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's ban on mask mandates has cost the University of Georgia a psychology professor who came out of retirement to teach during the coronavirus pandemic.

During Irwin Bernstein's upper division psychology seminar, a student who did not attend the first class showed up maskless at the second class. She was given a mask, but would not wear it over her nose, UGA independent student newspaper Red and Blackreported Friday.

"Bernstein asked the student to pull her mask up to wear it correctly, but she said she 'couldn't breathe' and 'had a really hard time breathing' with the cloth over her mouth and nose," the publication reported. "Written on the board at the front of the classroom was, 'No mask, no class,' according to fourth-year psychology major Hannah Huff."

Bernstein, 88, told the student he could die from COVID-19 complications. He had been informed two of his students were absent after testing positive.

"At that point I said that whereas I had risked my life to defend my country while in the Air Force, I was not willing to risk my life to teach a class with an unmasked student during this Pandemic," Bernstein told the newspaper. "I then resigned my retiree-rehire position."

Kemp's anti-mask rule impacted Bernstein's decision.

"Bernstein wrote in an email to The Red & Black that the head of the psychology department said he could not enforce a mask policy upon his students. UGA follows the policies of the University System of Georgia, which only encourages masks inside campus facilities and does not allow its institutions to enact mask or vaccine mandates," the newspaper reported.