If Idaho legislators can’t — or won’t — wear masks, then shut the session down
We can’t help but notice the photos and livestreams of the Idaho legislative session featuring mostly Republican legislators not wearing masks.
By not following recommended public safety measures, they’re simply putting others’ lives at risk from COVID-19.
Many people are doing the right thing by wearing masks, but that doesn’t necessarily protect them from contracting the coronavirus from people who selfishly aren’t wearing masks or observing social distancing protocols, and are potentially spreading it to others.
If our legislators can’t help protect others from getting sick and potentially dying, it’s incumbent upon House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder to shut down the session or at least delay it until it’s safe.
As is common knowledge, many legislators fall into the at-risk category, simply because of their age. People 65 and older are at a greater risk of dying if they contract COVID-19, and many legislators fall into that category.
But we’re also thinking about young pages and staff who have to be in the Statehouse in person. If they catch the virus, they could go back to their homes and pass it along to their loved ones, their parents, their grandma who so desperately wants to hug her grandchild because she’s so proud of their selection as a page.
Unfortunately for grandma, giving a big hug to her granddaughter who just got home from an exciting day on the floor of the House might not be the safest thing to do right now.
Already, the session is the subject of two lawsuits over a lack of safety measures.
Last week, Democratic Reps. Sue Chew, of Boise, and Muffy Davis, of Ketchum, filed a lawsuit against Bedke and the Legislature. Their lawsuit cites fear over the coronavirus risks and crowd control challenges at the Statehouse.
The plaintiffs request that they make arguments in court and legislative leadership allows “the right to participate fully and safely in the 2021 Idaho Legislative Session and ordering defendants to grant a reasonable modification that ensures plaintiffs can safely and fully participate in the Idaho legislative process.”
“They have also permitted unmasked, unlawful private militia groups and armed individuals to intimidate and coerce legislators and members of the public in the legislative chambers and committee rooms,” the lawsuit states.
The advocates claim that lawmakers are “denying them their right to advocate on issues that matter to them without unduly risking their health and safety.”
Two House Democrats in the Ohio Legislature tested positive in December after attending a committee meeting in which at least two other lawmakers who attended later tested positive.
A Montana state legislator last week tested positive and went into quarantine.
It’s only a matter of time that someone at the Idaho Statehouse contracts the virus, which can spread stealthily and infect someone without there being symptoms for days, while the carrier spreads it to others.
With so many legislators and guests walking around the Idaho Capitol without masks and acting as if it’s somehow business as usual, this is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Until the House speaker and the Senate president pro tem get the situation under control, they need to delay the session. Or at least do what they should have done in the first place: Institute needed health precautions at the Capitol, including a mask mandate and social distancing requirements. You don’t wear a mask or keep your distance, you go home. Period.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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