photo by: Chris Conde

Douglas County officials warn attendees at the County Commission's meeting on Jan. 12, 2022, that the meeting cannot continue if the audience doesn't comply with mask requirements.

As COVID-19 cases surge, Douglas County leaders have extended the public health order that requires face coverings for those ages 2 and older inside public spaces.

The Douglas County Commission voted unanimously as part of its meeting Wednesday to extend the health order through Feb. 9. The health order was implemented last week amid record-high numbers of new COVID-19 cases, and as cases continue their steep ascent, commissioners agreed the order was needed to slow transmission of the virus and ease the strain on the local hospital.

Dr. Thomas Marcellino, local health officer, told commissioners the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant and the sheer number of cases was putting a strain on hospitals across the entire region. Marcellino said the surge has not yet peaked, and hospitals are already experiencing staffing shortages, full emergency rooms and delayed patient care. He said a mask requirement was one tool to slow the spread and help the hospital manage the surge.

“What we’re trying to do here is we’re trying to save lives,” Marcellino said. “We’re trying to reduce the strain on the hospital, help protect people that have other health conditions.”

Douglas County has been experiencing record-breaking numbers of new cases. The county currently has 4,042 active cases of COVID-19, including 20 inpatients at LMH Health. Dr. Jennifer Schrimsher, deputy county health officer and infectious disease physician at LMH Health, told commissioners that amid those high levels of cases, there are 100 staffers currently out at the hospital, compared to a high of 40 last year. Schrimsher said the order was needed to help get the hospital through omicron.

Commissioners heard about an hour and 40 minutes of public comment, including those who were adamantly opposed to the mask order and those who voiced support for the order and the work of health officials and commissioners.

photo by: Chris Conde

Unmasked residents speak to Douglas County law enforcement officers outside of the County Courthouse on Jan. 12, 2022, seeking to be allowed into the County Commission’s meeting.

People who spoke against the order questioned whether masks work, complained about violations of their liberties, and accused local leaders of spreading fear. A man who only gave his name as Paul and had an American flag tied around his neck said the order was an overreach that was “crushing civil liberties,” and he compared it to fascism and Nazism.

Wednesday’s meeting got started about 15 minutes late as county officials and sheriff’s deputies sought to get those in attendance to comply with the requirement to wear a mask inside the courthouse. Those who would not wear a mask or face covering were asked to leave, and about 25 people remained inside while about 20 people gathered outside. As people at the courthouse lined up to sign up to provide public comment, a few gave the commission the Nazi salute.

photo by: Chris Conde

A crowd waits outside the Douglas County Courthouse on Jan. 12, 2022, when the commission was scheduled to discuss Douglas County’s mask rules.

Others, who commented online via Zoom, spoke in support of the mask order and thanked local leaders for their efforts to protect the people of Douglas County. Some commenters said that in addition to being important for the hospital, slowing the spread of the virus was important for schools and local businesses. Some LMH employees spoke, including Traci Hoopingarner, senior vice president of clinical care and chief nursing officer for LMH Health, who said she was seeing extreme weariness among staff and that the hospital needed the community to help by wearing masks.

“It’s been a long, long marathon that we haven’t been able to see an end of,” Hoopingarner said.

Commissioner Patrick Kelly asked health officials why the recommended health order did not include other restrictions, such as gathering limits. Marcellino said part of the reason was recent state law, which requires health orders to use the least restrictive manner to accomplish their stated goals. However, Marcellino said measures such as reducing capacity were not off the table, but that health leaders were hopeful that masks would make the needed difference.

Commission Chair Shannon Portillo said the mask order was an ask of the community to help slow cases and ensure that access to health care resources could continue. Commission Vice Chair Shannon Reid said she was continuing to be responsive to the global health crisis that was impacting the community in tangible ways. Kelly said the order was about keeping hospitals functioning, and, speaking to comments about the order infringing on people’s liberties, he said that the other inalienable rights are life and the pursuit of happiness.

“And I also understand that life, liberty and pursuit of happiness can sometimes get in conflict with each other,” Kelly said. “And we heard some of that tonight: People wanting a certain liberty or they don’t feel like they can pursue their happiness. But life is first, and if we can’t preserve life, we’ve lost our way, I think, as humankind.”

In other business, the commission:

• Voted unanimously to approve a conditional use permit for the Eudora-area Hamm Quarry, 1232 East 2300 Road.

• Voted unanimously to finalize an amendment to the county’s contract with Northeastern University in Boston, which the county and other local partners hired to investigate the racial breakdown of traffic stops and other law enforcement contact in the county.

photo by: Chris Conde

A crowd of residents with and without masks wait in the Douglas County Courthouse before the County Commission’s meeting on Jan. 12, 2022, when the commission was scheduled to discuss Douglas County’s mask rules.

— Journal-World reporter Chris Conde contributed to this story.