Moscow face mask order extended

Despite protesters outside City Hall and several residents asking during Monday night’s Moscow City Council meeting for an end to the face mask order, the council unanimously extended the order until Jan. 5.

Moscow residents and visitors have been required to wear masks since early July and the council can still terminate the order, which is intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, before Jan. 5.

The current order, which is set to expire Oct. 6, and the new order state that face coverings must be worn in public settings where 6-foot social distancing cannot be maintained with nonhousehold members.

There are 314 confirmed and 12 probable cases of COVID-19 in Latah County, according to Public Health – Idaho North Central District. Of the 326 total cases, 194 people recovered and none have died.

“I can’t see that ending the mask mandate now is a good decision...,” Councilor Gina Taruscio said. “I can’t let it expire yet.”

Mayor Bill Lambert said he and the council received a substantial number of emails and other forms of communication both for and against the mask mandate.

About 15 members of the public expressed their opinions and asked questions about the order at the meeting, and about 40 maskless protesters against the order stood on the sidewalks outside City Hall before and during the meeting.

Most of the roughly 15 residents spoke against the order. They said residents should be able to choose to wear or not wear a mask, people’s mental and physical health are negatively affected by wearing a mask and they challenged the legality of the order.

“If people are concerned for their health, they are free to stay home,” one woman said.

Others said the order is not needed because there have been zero deaths from the virus in Latah County and wearing a mask can be more detrimental than helpful.

“This is dangerous, unconstitutional, and frankly, with all due respect, insane,” another woman said. “Please stop acting like we are subjects in Communist China and lift this ridiculous unconstitutional mask mandate before the people rise up and start exercising their god-given right, constitutional right.”

One man said the virus is not a threat to the overwhelming majority of residents.

“What the mask represents at this point is fear,” he said. “Unfounded fear.”

One of the two people who spoke in favor of extending the order said the order makes her feel safer in the community.

Councilor Brandy Sullivan said she knows people do not want to wear masks and that they want to see people’s faces.

“Just because I want (the order to end), doesn’t mean that it’s the responsible thing to do,” she said.

Councilor Art Bettge said masks are intended to protect others around the mask wearer.

“Freedom to choose would be fine if it was just the non-mask wearer who was putting their health at risk,” he said. “But it isn’t. The freedom to not wear a mask means that somebody else’s freedom to not get a disease potentially is being abridged.”

Palouse Physician Pandemic Recovery Task Force, Latah County Clerk/Auditor/Recorder and Chief Elections Officer Henrianne Westberg, Latah County Commissioners, Gritman Medical Center, Moscow School District, Public Health – Idaho North Central District and University of Idaho all wrote letters to the City Council in support of extending the face mask order.

In other business, the council:

Extended a resolution allowing downtown businesses to temporarily expand into Main Street rights-of-way. The current resolution is set to expire Oct. 4 and the new one will expire Dec. 1, but it can be terminated earlier by City Supervisor Gary Riedner — after consultation with city staff charged with maintaining the public rights-of-way — as a result of safety concerns related to winter weather. The council approved the temporary expansion June 1 so establishments can entertain more patrons during the coronavirus pandemic while maintaining social distancing.

Approved the amended fiscal 2021 fee resolution. One of the amendments is more than doubling the cost of downtown parking permits at the City Hall, Jackson Street and Jefferson Street parking lots. The permit increases include $25 per month (up from $12), $65 per quarter (up from $30) and $180 annual (up from $85). The proposal is to increase annual parking permit fees downtown from $85 to $365, or $93.33 per year, in a three-year phased approach. The monthly and quarterly rates would increase proportionately with the yearly spike.

Authorized a $150 stipend for each of the 69 pool employees for the 2020 pool season, as well as reimbursement for lifeguard certification up to $164.50, which will vary by employee. Many employees were not able to work at the pool and others faced reduced hours because of the modified pool season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.