Washington Countians may see a change to the mask mandates next week. What those changes are, though, aren’t clear. For the first time since the governor’s mask mandate went into effect on Nov. 25, the commissioners talked about masks this week. The commissioners offered comments at Monday’s meeting supportive of ending the mask mandate in Washington County, but any action wouldn’t be taken until next Monday’s commission meeting.
All three commissioners received texts throughout Monday’s Board of County Commissioner’s meeting; those texts were in support of ending the mask mandate.
At one count during the meeting, commissioner Raleigh Ordoyne said he had received 9 texts, commissioner David Willbrant had received 8 and commissioner Scott Zabokrtsky had received 5.
Willbrant said he “didn’t fight” the state mandate when it happened in November because Washington County had a high number of active COVID cases, and he said “lots of people reached out wanting a mask mandate.”
“But the numbers are much less now,” he added.
Zabokrtsky was communicating with Health Department director Tiffany Hayman through messages on his phone during Monday’s meeting and said at 10:17 a.m. that she reported 10 active cases for the county at that moment.
Ordoyne said he thought many people worried about a “giant wave” of COVID after Thanksgiving.
“But there really wasn’t, was there?” he said. “I don’t have a problem opting out [of the mask mandate] but strongly recommending masks and keeping masks in place for county buildings.”
Zabokrtsky reported that Hayman recommended that the commissioners keep the mask mandate in place.
“Did she say for how long?” Willbrant asked.
His question went unanswered.
He said he thought some other counties have already ended the mask mandate.
Willbrant said he thought very few businesses around the county would turn people away who were not wearing masks, and he said that while he has stopped into local businesses, he has seen many people not wearing masks. He also said he thought some people wore masks only because they were required to or because other people were wearing them.
“I can see waiting until after the holidays [to end the mask mandate],” he said. “But people will wear them or not wear them regardless.”
Zabokrtsky said he can see both sides of the subject, but he “would have to side with Tiffany.”
Zabokrtsky said he would contact Hayman and give her a “heads up” about the commissioners’ plans. The board agreed that Hayman needed to talk with county attorney Elizabeth Baskerville Hiltgen about wording for whatever the commissioners plan to do at next Monday’s meeting.