By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected families and individuals differently. Some have shrugged it off as another infection, comparing it to influenza. Others have been on heightened alert by avoiding face-to-face interactions and religiously wearing masks.
Wherever you fall in the spectrum, coronavirus, quarantines, masks and mandates have been a hot button item for over a year.
The Barton County Commission recognized the touchiness of the issue this week
as they voted 3-2 to keep the mask mandate in place throughout the county.
Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson, along with Kirby Krier, voted to rescind the
mandate.
"I have never seen anything divide friends like this," said Hutchinson. "People that would normally agree on just about everything, can't find common ground on COVID, masks and mandates."
The other three commissioners that voted to keep the mandate noted they would
listen to their constituents over the next week before they voted to strike the
mask mandate.
Commissioner Jennifer Schartz mentioned there is a chance Kansas Governor Laura Kelly will drop the state-wide mandate by the end of the month. Schartz encouraged the commission to stay the course of wearing the masks until the state order is dropped.
Krier felt more comfortable in eventually setting
an end date for mask requirements.
"If we are going to have a mask mandate, let's have a deadline to it," said Krier. "I don't trust what is going to happen in Washington D.C. or the state."
After receiving input, the commission will revisit the mask mandate at the
March 29 meeting.
"Our constituents elected us to make decisions that we feel are right," said Hutchinson. "That is all we can go by."