Lewis County commissioners say they will not comply with a mask mandate that, according to the state, is not under consideration.
The commissioners will vote next week on a preemptive resolution to declare the county will not comply with any future mask mandates to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Commissioner Sean Swope, who brought the resolution forward, said the county hasn't received guidance from a state or federal agency saying such a requirement is under consideration.
“We’re providing the employees with the understanding that, regardless of what comes in their future, they can be secure in the knowledge of ‘this is where we stand,’” Commissioner Scott Brummer said Monday.
In response to an audience question about whether the county would “buck state requirements,” Brummer said that would “be a different discussion but ultimately, yeah, that’s what we’re saying.”
Swope took it a step further.
“What I’m saying is that we will not do a mask mandate. That is what this is saying,” Swope said. “I will not vote in favor of any type of mask mandate. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Swope said the resolution will "allow people to make their own decisions regarding their health and safety.”
A mask mandate for most indoor facilities, including restaurants and gyms, was lifted on March 12, 2022. The state’s masking mandate for health care, long-term care and correctional facilities for people over the age of 5 was lifted on April 3, 2023.
Marisol Mata Somarribas, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health, said masks are recommended in certain instances, including when someone feels ill and when traveling on public transit.
“Local health jurisdictions, health care facilities or providers, school districts and individual businesses may still choose to require masks,” she wrote in an email. “The goal of these safety measures is to protect staff, employees, patients, students, yourself, and others.”
During a wrap-up meeting Monday, commissioners again rehashed the effectiveness and the initial purpose of mask mandates first instituted in March 2020.
Roughly 10 residents spoke in favor of the resolution during the commissioners’ meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Several said they’d like to see the county go further and pass a resolution that the county would not abide by a vaccine mandate.
A draft of the proposal provided by Swope says that “Lewis County hereby affirms the right of its employees to make personal choices regarding the use of masks and face coverings, without a mandate imposed.”
Commissioner Lindsey Pollock said the initial intent of the mask mandate, to reduce the spread in the early stages while doctors developed effective treatments, was “mission accomplished.”
Swope, meanwhile, initially wanted to keep references to scientific studies in the proclamation..
“We’re always talking about trust the science, trust the science, trust the science,” Swope said.
“And then they did this extensive study … that shows there was nothing when it came to stopping the spread, preventing the spread.”
Swope said during the meeting that masking mandates were “more of a political move.”
“It didn't stop the spread, it didn’t stop COVID,” Swope said. “People still got COVID.”
The commissioners will vote on the resolution during their business meeting Tuesday at 10 a.m.
The Department of Health will hold a briefing on Friday on the updated booster and the respiratory virus season.
