US city planner sacked after virus rant

A northern California city official has been fired after he suggested on social media that sick, old and homeless people should be left to meet their "natural course in nature" during the coronavirus pandemic.

City council members in Antioch, east of Oakland, voted unanimously to remove Ken Turnage II from his post as chairman of the city's planning commission.

There was a swift uproar after Turnage characterised people with weak immune systems as a drain on society.

He wrote on Facebook: "the World has been introduced to a new phrase Herd Immunity which is a good one. In my opinion we need to adapt a Herd Mentality. A herd gathers its ranks, it allows the sick, the old, the injured to meet its natural course in nature."

As for homeless people, he added that the virus would "fix what is a significant burden on our society and resources that can be used."

Turnage later deleted the post but refused to resign or back down from his comments.

During a two-hour virtual council meeting on Friday, Turnage said his personal opinion had no bearing on his duties as a planning commissioner and that removing him would violate his freedom of speech.

But city officials countered that his posting caused a loss in confidence and created a disruption to the city.