Pueblo Board of Health divided on revised mask order for Pueblo Schools
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- In a 3-2 vote, the Pueblo Board of Health chose to table a revised mask order for their next meeting on January 26th. The revised mask order would have allowed individual school districts to opt out of the current public health order requiring masks to be worn in all Pueblo County schools since August.
Randy Evetts, Pueblo Health Director, presented the Board of Health with two options or amendments for the revised public health order. If passed, the individual school district would hold a vote on opting out of requiring masks in schools in favor of the option passed by the Board of Health.
Option 1 would require symptoms checks for all individuals aged 2 and older. Schools would be required to follow PDPHE guidance regarding isolation and quarantine.
Option 2 would give the school districts full responsibility for managing COVID in their schools. Both District 60 and 70 would be required to provide case reporting and outbreak monitoring to CDPHE (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment).
The two options were met with mixed support from the Board of Health members.
"I love the options. I think that they are wonderful. We are not ready for them," Eileen Dennis said.
"I am supportive of the amendment. I hear the concerns, but I do support the amendment," Garrison Ortiz said.
Eileen Dennis, Michael Nerenberg, and Ed Brown all voted "Yes" to table the discussion to their next meeting. Donald Moore and Garrison Ortiz voted "No" and were in favor of the revised public health order and the options or amendments provided by Health Director Evetts.
The Omicron variant has been detected in Pueblo's wastewater. Those who voted to table the discussion were concerned about the impact the new variant would have on the declining case numbers.
"We need to look at this in another month and make a decision from there, but don't undo the work that we have done to get the options cause I think that may be there for our off-ramp when it is right," Dennis said.
Board President Donald Moore said he is concerned about mask enforcement moving forward with the desire to keep them on at a low point right now.
"The will to adhere by the mask mandate has waned significantly," Moore said. "It would be awesome if we could identify symptoms and fevers as they present to school and tell them to go back home until they feel better or they can show that they have a negative test versus being in school and maybe or maybe not wearing their mask."
A District 60 board member spoke at the meeting and urged the Board of Health to keep the mask order in place.
However, District 70 board members have called for the Board of Health to remove it entirely in favor of parental choice.
Another vote is expected at their next meeting on January 26th.
