BOH questions COVID resolution protocol
By Kevin O’Brien
Marathon County’s Board of Health (BOH) is drafting a letter to the county board expressing its disappointment at being left out of a discussion about a resolution adopted last month opposing any future COVID-related mandates.
At its Oct. 10 meeting, BOH members discussed a resolution drafted by supervisor Stacey Morache that calls for county residents and employees to make their own decisions about whether to wear masks, take vaccines and socially isolate. The final version of the resolution, which passed 26-7, removed the phrase “unless required by law.”
Morache, a member of the BOH, said she followed the protocol recommended by corporation counsel Michael Puerner when presenting her resolution to the Health and Human Services Committee, which voted to advance the proposal to the full county board for a vote.
Vice-chair Tara Draeger, however, said concerns were raised about the BOH and health officer Laura Scudiere not being consulted before the resolution was presented to supervisors.
“Not following the intended protocol could have some unintended implications – assuming that board of health members were in support and had a chance to review it,” she said.
Supervisor Ann Lemmer, another BOH member, said she’s worried that the resolution as adopted could be seen as encouraging the health officer to break the law.
“I just find that unacceptable,” she said. “I know there were 20-some supervisors who endorsed you breaking the law. I do not.”
Scudiere reiterated what she told the county board: she does not have the authority to enforce mask or vaccine mandates, but her office can issue quarantine orders, under state law, to stop the spread of a communicable disease. She also noted that state law “supercedes” the county’s ordinances under Chapter 252 of statute.
Morache said corporation counsel made it “abundantly clear” that the resolution was meant as “a message to the state saying that the citizens wanted their civil liberties protected.”
Jaeger said she was more concerned about the proper protocol not being followed before the resolution was adopted, and the fact that she and other BOH members were not given a chance to weigh in on the resolution before it went to the county board for a vote.
The Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Board, of which Jaeger is a member, is willing to write a letter expressing disappointment on behalf of the BOH, she said.
A motion to have the letter drafted was passed 3-2, with Jaeger, Lemmer, and Dr. Helen Luce voting in favor and Morache and supervisor Jennifer Aarrestad voting no. The letter will be brought before the BOH at its next meeting on Dec. 12 for review and possible approval.
During public comment, three people spoke in favor of the anti-mandate resolution and said they hoped it would stay in place.
Hadden Steffen of Wausau said he was personally more concerned about the possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine than he was about the disease itself, based on his younger age and lack of pre-existing health conditions.
“I’ve heard of many instances of young, healthy people – a category I am part of – having adverse reactions from receiving the vaccine,” he said. “I don’t want to be forced into taking a shot that could possibly cause me harm. That would be truly scary.”
Steffen noted that his grandparents, due to their age, decided to get the vaccine because they concluded that the risk of contracting COVID-19 was greater for them.
“I respect that decision, but I think it should remain a decision, not a mandate,” he said.
Colleen Yaeger of Wausau said the “fundamentals of our freedom” are at risk if the government can tell people whether or not to wear a mask or stay at home. When her local gym was closed during the pandemic, she said it was “the worst thing for my health” not being able to exercise.
“It’s our freedom to decide,” she said. “It’s not a right of the government to take that away. It’s our right to be free to decide. We need to stand up for this.”
