Cape County health board meets with people opposed to, in favor of face mask mandate

If there was one thing everyone at Tuesday’s meeting of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center Board of Trustees agreed on, it was that no one likes wearing face masks.

About 30 county residents — all masked and seated at least 6 feet from each other — turned out for the two-hour meeting at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau to tell board members what they think of the county’s face mask mandate that went into effect July 13 in response to rising number of COVID-19 cases.

Some said they believe masks are necessary to help control the spread of coronavirus and can help save lives. Others said masks are harmful because they can become contaminated, force people to breathe carbon dioxide and infringe on personal rights.

Still others stood outside the meeting room because they preferred not to wear masks as requested by the health board. In fact, police asked two people to leave the room before the meeting started because they refused to wear face coverings.

Those against

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center board member Diane Howard, far right, responds to a comment during a health center board of trustees meeting Tuesday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

“I see it as my personal rights being trampled on,” said Josh Johnson, one of several people who addressed the board in opposition to the face mask mandate.

Johnson and others said their personal freedoms are being violated by the health department’s order requiring most people older than 9 to wear face masks in public places throughout the county. “After the masks comes the goggles, because you can get it (coronavirus) through your eyes, and after the goggles comes the vaccine,” Johnson said. “It’s a slippery slope.”

Several people alleged the COVID-19 pandemic has been blown out of proportion and that some medical experts disagree with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and government officials, including President Donald Trump, who recently said masks are “patriotic” and can be helpful in slowing the spread of the disease.

“The whole COVID-19 narrative does not make sense,” said Rita LaVanchy, a registered nurse who referenced a video posted on social media earlier this week featuring several physicians who contradicted CDC recommendations.

“Why isn’t Dr. Fauci meeting with them?” she asked in reference to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “They are saving people’s lives and they are risking their reputations to do it. There are doctors in this community that know this is not right, but they’re scared to speak out.”

(The video LaVanchy referenced was subsequently removed from social media platforms.)

Several people told the health board members that masks can be more detrimental than coronavirus itself.

“I learned in science class that it is poisonous to breathe carbon dioxide and that’s what your body puts out,” said Jane Sandvos, who said masks trap CO2 and make it difficult to breathe.

“My children are in the medical field and they are forced to wear these things over their face for 12 hour shifts,” she said. “Now I have young ones coming up, teenagers, trying to get a job and they’re forced to wear masks over their faces for hours at a time. They don’t get a break, they don’t get to breathe oxygen.”

Some questioned the manner in which the health board issued its face mask order and whether board members gathered input from the business community.

Jeremy Roth, a Cape Girardeau business owner, said he spoke to 69 business owners in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area and that 95% of them were against mandatory face masks.

“How many business owners did you actually speak with before this decision was made?” Roth asked the board, and said the order is hurting the county’s economy.

“My viewpoint on this (the mask mandate) is that it’s pro business,” answered board member John Freeze, who said he prefers face masks to business closures.

“I would hate to go through another shutdown. That’s where you kill the business,” he said.

Those in favor

Eighty-three-year-old Barbara Williams was the first of several meeting attendees who spoke in favor of face masks.

“I’ve lived through polio, smallpox, chickenpox, scarlet fever, swine flu and so on, and I’ve read the Constitution and I cannot find where it says we have the right not to wear a mask,” she said. “People should wear a mask to protect our community and all of us who have worked long and hard to build a world younger generations are now enjoying.”

Cynthia Durgan, a former high school biology teacher, said she began researching COVID-19 when the outbreak began earlier this year and believes the health board made its decision to require face masks based on the best available information.

She also compared the face mask requirement to traffic laws.

“Why should we all drive on the right side of the road?” she asked. “It’s inconvenient and it infringes on my personal freedom to go wherever the hell I want (but) we do it because we don’t want to kill each other.”

One attendee, who identified himself only as “Charlie,” commended the health department for its action and said it was “the right thing” to do.

“I personally have some issues about being forced by a government entity to wear a mask or to do anything for that matter. However, after some thought, I realized that by taking a simple step, putting a mask on for 4 or 5 minutes or whatever, that may very well help save someone’s life,” he said. “Give your fellow man a little leeway. I understand personal rights, but for God’s sake, if there’s a possibility of saving someone else’s life, be a little human.”

Medical perspective

While some in the room said they doubted the seriousness of COVID-19, a pair of physicians in attendance disagreed.

“I have been dealing with this on the front lines for the last few months and it has not fun,” said internal medicine physician Sarah Goodman, who said both of her parents contracted the coronavirus.

“They were sick for three weeks each, very, very sick, and it was considered mild because they were not hospitalized,” she said, adding that both are dealing with “ongoing complications.”

Infectious disease physician Brenna Keller of Cross Trails Medical Center commented on the effectiveness of face masks.

“The mask is simply (a way) to decrease transmission,” she said. “Wear them to slow down progression.”

Reasoning questioned

At one point during the meeting, it was noted Cape Girardeau County’s face mask mandate went into effect at about the same time that more than 30 other Missouri counties enacted similar orders and someone said they heard the Greene County Health Department in Southwest Missouri was paid more than $2 million to issue a face mask order.

“Have you all been paid to mandate this?” someone asked the board.

“We get a free lunch once in a while,” Freeze replied. “But I can assure you there was no financial reason for doing this.”

As for whether Cape Girardeau County coordinated its mask order with other health departments, Freeze said he believes other counties in the state realized the number of coronavirus cases was rising and took action at approximately the same time.

“The numbers were going up, so we thought it was appropriate at this time to do this,” board member Georganne Syler said.

“We did not take this action lightly, believe me,” board chairman Roland Sanders said. “I don’t like face masks, but the alternative, to me, is worse.”

While many in the room would have preferred the board revoke the mask mandate, the board instead voted unanimously to replace it with a revised version suggested by board member Diane Howard. The new version removes reference to the possibility of jail time for violation of the order and states the order will remain in effect until its next monthly meeting, scheduled for Aug. 25, at which time it will be extended, amended or discontinued.

Do you crave business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Check it out at www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.