HILLSBORO, Mo. — The Jefferson County Health Department’s board of trustees pushed a vote on a possible mask mandate to next week following a heated debate inside the meeting and outside the building Tuesday.
On the same day Missouri hit a single-day record of new coronavirus cases, Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar suggested the board require masks as one strategy to limit the spread.
"To be able to have more freedom, to be able to move around, rather than to go back toward having to restrict movement, which is what nobody wants,” Vollmar said.
The only member of the board not wearing a mask at the indoor meeting – streamed on Facebook Live – pushed back on that recommendation.
“The mask is not helping the community achieve the herd immunity that stops the virus. The virus will stop if you allow that,” Suzy Davis said.
Some like-minded skeptics protested the possible mandate outside the meeting.
"I'm not responsible for anybody's health, safety or well-being but my own, so I'm not wearing a mask,” Keith Fisher said.
Fisher said he doesn’t believe the science that shows masks can prevent or reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
READ MORE: What science says about masks
“The data you find, you can twist it to mean whatever you want it to mean,” he said.
Others said they believe masks hurt the healthy.
“I’m a mouth-breather,” Dave Day said. “I can’t breathe through a mask. I just can’t. So I guess we’re going to discriminate against people like myself? Is that what we’re going to do?”
But two mask-wearers formed their own counter-protest to show not everyone in Jefferson County agrees.
"I think it was very important for me to be here to make sure the health department knows that there are people in Jefferson County who are on their side, that are on the side of science and facts,” Jessica Shepherd said.
The board of trustees set a special meeting to decide whether to implement a mask mandate next Tuesday at 3 p.m.
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