EVANSTON — Uinta County Commission Chair Eric South added a controversial item to the agenda at the beginning of the commission meeting held Tuesday, Sept. 15. The resolution, which is nonbinding and appears to be symbolic in nature, is aimed at government overreach concerning health orders during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Resolution 20-25 was the last item to be considered at the meeting. County Attorney Loretta Howeison-Kallas read aloud the resolution in its entirety. Upon conclusion of the reading, with no objecting community members present, South and fellow commissioners Craig Welling and Mark Anderson unanimously approved the resolution.

The resolution begins by expressing the intent of the Board of County Commissioners regarding the propriety and efficacy of county-level orders concerning the novel coronavirus.

In summary, the resolution states the county commission is abiding by the Wyoming Constitution, which says each competent adult has the right to make his or her own healthcare decisions and decisions for those they legally represent as caregiver. It also refers to Wyoming Constitution Article 1 in the Declaration of Rights: “the state of Wyoming shall act to preserve those rights from undue governmental infringement.”

Commissioners state that, upon election, they have sworn their allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and the State of Wyoming.

According to the resolution, based on those rights as stated in the U.S. Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution, the Uinta County Commission agrees that the competent adults in Uinta County are best suited and able to make virus-related healthcare decisions for themselves and their children or wards. They also stated that each individual business owner has the right to mandate any form of dress or behavior within the confines of their business, including but not limited to, a facial covering. 

The resolution also sasy the commission recognizes and appreciates Uinta County Public Health Nurse Manager Kim Proffit and Uinta County Health Officer Dr. Michael Adams for their service and dedication to Uinta County during the pandemic. They also recognize that the statewide health orders have been issued by Dr. Alexia Harrist as requested by Gov. Mark Gordon. 

Commissioners say they want the public to know they will refrain from any county-level virus-related mandate concerning individual healthcare decisions, including, but not limited to, mandatory mask requirements, mandatory contact tracing and mandatory social distancing.  They encourage individuals to make their own decisions regarding health matters for themselves and for their children or wards.

News of the resolution caught Proffit off guard. When the Herald contacted her, she said she was surprised by the commission’s resolution and had not been made aware beforehand that it was to be considered.

“I think it is a statement of their own values and a response to their constituents they have been hearing from,” Proffit said. “They want to show their support for those who have contacted them. Other counties in Wyoming have been doing similar resolutions. Also, I think this tells the governor that they don’t want him to do a statewide mandate.”

Proffit said the problem she sees with this public statement is that it will make Public Health’s job harder, especially to get people to comply with health orders as they look to their elected leaders for guidance. This resolution appears to go against what Public Health officials recommend, and it remains to be seen if the commission will set the example, she said.

Proffit said the measures the schools in Uinta County have taken are working to keep the numbers of cases down. Local schools require students and teachers to social distance when possible and to wear face coverings when social distancing isn’t possible. In other counties, she said, the numbers of cases in schools have risen. She praised the local teachers and administrators for working hard to keep everyone safe.

Although the number of new cases has been staying low in Uinta and Sweetwater counties, Proffit said the numbers are creeping up in other counties in the state. However, she added, she had just received word that day of four new confirmed cases in Uinta County. That number increased by 10 by Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total active cases in the county to 14. She said the new cases might be the result of all of the activities over Labor Day weekend.

“Even though the intent of the commission may not have been to go against what we teach, some people might perceive it as so,” Proffit said. “I do appreciate the fact that they recognized me and Dr. Adams and the hard work of our nurses here. Dr. Alexia Harrist is an expert epidemiologist and I trust her skills. She is a stickler for data and that collected data indicates what works in other countries. It isn’t realistic to leave it up to the individual on how to stay safe during a pandemic. We need to continue to be safe, we’ve gained ground through contact tracking and wearing of masks.”