Thread by @SteveStaeger

NEW: By a 3-2 vote, Adams County Commissioners join Douglas County in opting out of the @TCHDHealth public health order mandating masks in schools. #9News #HeyNext

Interesting comment from Eva Henry, chair of the board, responding to Comissioner Emma Pinter’s suggestion that the board support recommendations from the health department it trusted with making this decision…

Henry said by allowing an opt out - @TCHDHealth made it political.

This is fascinating. There’s still public comment where people are urging the board to opt out…even though they already have.

Someone in the background of this meeting is holding a sign that says "Lions don't wear masks"

Rewinding the meeting a bit, with a h/t to @liamsadams for pointing this out first.

Commissioner Lynn Baca encouraged her fellow commissioners to consider forming a new health department....she believes @TCHDHealth's order "doesn't go far enough"

Baca says the statewide mask order allowed Adams County to go back to in-person learning last year. She says she believes in masks.

"I believe we are at the beginning, at the bottom of a mountain of COVID who is still the enemy."

She voted to opt out of the mask mandate.

Here's part of Baca's statement that I roughly transcribed.

As the pandemic began to rage last year, the right seized on the fact that mandates were being created by unelected bureaucrats.

The opt out provision in Tri-County seems to be a direct answer to that...

Now the Adams County board... largely on the left seems to be arguing that they shouldn't be the ones making this decision...criticizing the health department for allowing the opt out provision.