Topline
Health board members in one of Idaho’s most populous counties have voted to repeal a local mask mandate amid a surge in Covid-19 cases that is already overwhelming local hospitals, AP reports — with one board member denying the existence of Covid-19 entirely as the lack of a statewide mask mandate leaves decisions in Idaho to local officials who may not have medical experience.
An Idaho county overturned a local mask mandate.
Key Facts
Board members of Panhandle Health District, Idaho’s third most populated county, voted 4-3 to end a local mask mandate Thursday, moments after hearing from a hospital so overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases that it said it was considering sending patients to Seattle for care.
One board member, Walk Kirby, said he does not care if people wear masks or not: “If they want to be dumb enough to walk around and expose themselves and others, that’s fine with me.”
“I’m sitting back and watching them catch it and die,” he added.
Another member, Allen Banks, denied the existence of Covid-19 entirely, telling the medical professionals testifying that something is making people sick, “and I’m pretty sure that it’s not coronavirus.”
“The question that you should be asking is, ‘What’s making them sick?’” he said.
It comes as the state’s Kootenai hospital in Coeur d’Alene warned it was at 99% capacity, with hospitals elsewhere in the state warning that they are becoming overwhelmed, according to AP.
Key Background
Though the evidence and official public health guidance in support of wearing masks is clear, they are still an intensely political issue throughout much of the United States. Many states, typically run by Republican governors, still don’t have mandates, leaving the often unpopular decision down to local authorities who may not have medical expertise. Trump has opposed a national mandate and, following a three-day stint in hospital with the virus, brazenly removed his mask in public when still infectious with the disease, while he has embarked on rallies and public engagements since his recovery, without wearing masks.
Surprising Fact
The lack of a national mask mandate was singled out by researchers at Columbia University as a key reason behind the U.S.’ tragic Covid-19 death toll when compared to other wealthy countries.
Further Reading
Hospitals are full but some parts of Idaho refuse mask rules (AP News)
19 States Still Don’t Mandate Masks. 18 Are Run By Republican Governors. (Forbes)
Contagious Trump Removes Mask For White House Photo Op, Staff Nearby (Forbes)
Report: At Least 130,000 Covid-19 Deaths Were Avoidable, Trump Administration An ‘Abject Failure’ (Forbes)
