Hailey City Council member urges Idaho Gov. Little to pass statewide mask mandate

Gov. Brad Little’s plan to address COVID-19 in Idaho is not working. He has put the burden of combating a global pandemic on local governments that do not have the resources to adequately address public health crises, and our state is still without a statewide mask requirement.

The effectiveness of the resulting patchwork of local policies, ordinances and restrictions is hamstrung due to inconsistencies across local jurisdictions; one city may make the good public health decision to require masks, while a neighboring city or county takes no action.

The consequences of inaction by one local government spread outside their jurisdiction’s arbitrary boundary and affects neighboring municipalities just like a maskless asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19 unintentionally spreads the virus to their family, friends and the public.

Leaving the decisions about how to address COVID-19 to local governments is not good policy. It’s weak leadership. We need our governor to make tough decisions when it is required of him, like it is now.

We do not need our governor to pander to his base or cower to a vocal minority that ignores facts and science at the expense of their neighbors’ lives.

Local control of COVID-19 policy sounds nice. We are, after all, a state that espouses limited government, and that is largely because many of us believe a limited government is the most effective type of government. In many instances that is true. But in the specific instance of dealing with a global pandemic, we need a unified and consistent response across Idaho. Leaving decisions about how to address a global pandemic to local governments is simply ineffective, and it’s costing Idahoans their lives.

Recently, Gov. Little implemented Phase 2 of reopening, but there is still no mask requirement.

Wearing a mask is the most effective action you can take to stop the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately, Gov. Little’s recent actions do little to help reduce the spread COVID-19.

Implementing a watered-down Phase 2 reopening plan and calling in the National Guard are notably more burdensome for people and businesses and less effective at reducing the spread of the virus than requiring masks.

Mandating masks is the low-hanging fruit on the tree of how to respond to this pandemic. Unfortunately, Gov. Little continues to choose the options least likely to decrease our skyrocketing COVID-19 numbers, while imposing more burdensome and less effective restrictions on people and businesses.

I implore Gov. Little to require masks statewide. And I ask the residents of the great state of Idaho to take the least restrictive and most effective precautions they can against COVID-19: wear a mask, socially distance and wash your hands. The consequences for failing to do these simple things are more unnecessary deaths, more closed businesses, worsening mental health and prolonging the impacts of this virus. Idaho simply cannot afford to keep doing what is obviously not working.