Residents heeding calls to mask up

Lincoln County’s top doctor described the percentage of new coronavirus cases locally as concerning — but not alarming — during a tense and occasionally unruly health board meeting last week.

Dr. Brad Black, Lincoln County’s health officer, said new positive cases comprise about 5 percent of test results officials have received back from the labs. That rate indicates residents are taking the threat of the virus seriously and acting accordingly, he said.

“It’s very important that we keep the activity of the virus at about that level going forward,” Black said. “I think for the communities it’s positive [news] in that I think that means, hey, probably people are doing a pretty good job of masking up and reducing contact. I’m pleased with that.”

The percent positive is the best measuring stick officials have left to track virus activity in the community. Earlier in the year, testing was opened to all residents, including those without symptoms of COVID-19, and encouraged for workers in positions that brought them into close contact with the public at large. Known as community surveillance, it ended earlier in the summer as test kits overwhelmed labs.

Now officials generally test those showing symptoms of COVID-19 or known close contacts to an infected individual.

Black acknowledged that 5 percent could seem low to the layperson. Given how quickly it moves through a community, officials and residents alike cannot afford to grow lax, he said.

Communities that dropped their guard suffered as a result, Black said.

“[The coronavirus] is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the population very rapidly and having a case level of even 5 percent puts you in that position of being very careful,” he said.

The health officer made another appeal for residents to don face coverings during the pandemic, particularly in indoor settings where social distancing remains difficult. It’s time to stop debating whether masks work, he said. The consensus among medical experts and scientists is that masks are effective.

And definitely more effective than pretending the virus will spare Lincoln County, Black said.

“We must not ignore that and go about our day and think we are going to be immune from this virus,” he said. “It’s going to go where we let it go.”

Jennifer McCully, the county’s public health manager, pointed to Phillips County, as an example. The jurisdiction, which includes Malta, went without a confirmed case of COVID-19 until Aug. 4. By Aug. 12, the county had 68 known cases.

“It’s a good example of how quickly it can spread,” McCully said.

While Black described mask wearing as a settled debate, the governor’s controversial mandate for face coverings in counties with more than four active cases dominated discussion at the meeting. A warning by board chair Jan Ivers that all mask-related comments ought to go to the governor’s office rather than the health board went largely unheeded.

One member of the public broke into the board meeting to offer his thoughts on the mandate. Health board meetings have been held on Zoom in recent months, with a few officials congregating inside the county courthouse to host the gatherings electronically. Remaining board members, interested residents and members of the press participate remotely, either through phones or computers.

While the video feed to the meeting room was off, a man — apparently not wearing a mask as Ivers repeatedly told him to stay six feet away — could be heard clamoring for a chance to address the body regarding face coverings. Ivers initially told him to contact the governor’s office, but relented.

The speaker went on to discuss religious exemptions from mask wearing, compared the mask mandate to segregation and accused the county health department of violating residents’ constitutional rights before running out of time. He also asserted that people would get sick from wearing masks.

Others joined in the mask debate during a later public comment period. Heather Handy, an outspoken opponent of the mask mandate and a Eureka business owner, was cut off after accusing Black of profiteering from the pandemic.

Prior to the accusation, she questioned the legitimacy of the health board, department and officer.

Resident Dixie Linnell criticized health department staff for overzealously enforcing the mask mandate.

“I assert that a certain doctor and a few members of the Lincoln County Health Department have overstepped their bounds in connection with Gov. Bullock’s overreaching directive requiring face coverings.”

And resident Tim Haynes asked whether the board was ignoring the mental health and economic well being of the community in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His remarks echoed an earlier, tense exchange between Ivers and fellow board member George Jamison.

Ivers had listed COVID-19, and efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as the primary public health concern facing the county. While acknowledging economic and mental health worries, she emphasized preventative measures.

“We want to really focus on that, because that’s what’s going to get us through,” she said.

Jamison, though, said public health also encompassed economic conditions and worried both business activity and mental health concerns were getting overlooked.

“I think if we only focus on the medical side of things, I think we’re missing the picture here and we get wrapped up on masks,” Jamison said.

Ivers refuted Jamison’s characterization of her remarks. She alluded to the lengthy discussions the board has held in recent weeks concerning the possible cancellation of large-scale events, like the rodeo and car show.

“I’m not saying the virus is the only priority,” Ivers said. “You know we’ve looked at all of it. From the very beginning.”

Proponents of letting the events move forward even as cases mounted locally last month often pointed to the economic benefits of such gatherings.