County out of mask mandate debate
Unlike municipalities, health districts, and business owners, the Kootenai County board of commissioners has little to no voice in enforcing a mask mandate.
Serving as one of the largest employers of the area, Kootenai County service departments see a much different perspective than Kootenai Health, North Idaho College and school districts.
The county administration building and the Garden Avenue courthouse have long been proponents of wearing a mask when inside the facility, with posters informing patrons on every door. However, this is pretty much the extent to what the commissioners are at liberty to do.
"Realistically, the county does not have the statutory authority to mandate anything, and as far as I'm concerned as an elected official that ends the conversation right there," Commissioner Bill Brooks said.
Coeur d'Alene City Council passed a 90-day mask mandate on Monday that went into effect Tuesday morning. Since then, the cities of Post Falls, Rathdrum, and Hayden have started considering whether to do the same.
Commissioners don't have the same authority.
Commissioner Chris Fillios said the county is operating under Gov. Brad Little's Stage 3 rebound guidelines.
Much like many public officials, Brooks has taken the stance that if a mask mandate were to be effective, it would have to come from the governor's mouth.
"I wonder where the governor is on this? He seems to be AWOL," Brooks said. "He could issue a mandate to wear a mask, and he's not."
Commissioner Leslie Duncan and Fillios presented arguments from scientific studies.
Duncan pointed out an article by TheFederalist.com, which noted studies by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Cambridge University Press, New England Journal of Medicine, and Oxford Clinical Infectious Diseases — to name a few — that showed a lack of certainty for mask efficacy. Duncan thinks the mandates are not beneficial to helping the community assimilate into the "new normal" and live good lives.
"I've spoken to local mental health professionals who are seeing their clients go from healthy choices to increased anxiety and substance abuse, leading up to the point of being in jeopardy of losing their homes," Duncan said. "These are adults with children."
In contrast, Fillios cited research by Brigham Young University compiled with over 115 scientific studies published globally on COVID-19. They asserted that masks "could be one of the most powerful and cost-effective tools to stop COVID-19 and accelerate the economic recovery."
"There are two sides of every coin, but when I look at the facts, the number of deaths, and the wearing of masks, I think masks are highly effective," Fillios said. "Totally? No. But effective? Yes."
Duncan said she hadn't found one scientifically controlled study that proves masks are the "saving grace" some say they are.
"Every activity in life involves risk," Duncan said. "People need to be responsible for themselves. My family chooses to boost our immune systems, stay home when we are sick, and pray for those who do get it."
In the last Panhandle Health District meeting, Walt Kirby, a PHD board member, called out the lack of county backing for the now-removed mask mandate.
"I think Walt ought to tend to his city and let us tend to ours," Brooks said of Kirby, a Boundary County resident. "It seems to me that the Panhandle Health District board is in such shambles and goes from pillar to post in its decisions, further eroding community confidence in whatever they recommend."
Brooks said he felt much more inclined to wear a mask when it was of his own free will rather than by force.
"I really resent someone mandating me to wear a mask," Brooks said. "Personally, I always carry a mask, I always wear one in crowds, and if you see me at any event, I'm wearing one."
Duncan thinks that people in the high-risk category, like those over the age of 65 and have underlying health conditions, need to protect themselves. This is a personal responsibility that Duncan has witnessed.
"When members of my family had zero immune systems while fighting cancer, they protected themselves from everything, including the common cold," Duncan said.
In her conversations with taxpayers, Duncan said she's heard both sides of the debate.
"I hear mask mandates are not the answer, and I hear from people who are terrified of people who don't wear masks," she said. "If people want to wear them, they should have the freedom to do so."
