Sandpoint mayor: We wouldn’t need a federal vaccine order if Idaho governor would act
The COVID surge in North Idaho is dire, and we desperately need Idaho Gov. Brad Little to act.
The Panhandle Health District is reporting 300 cases per day and expects daily cases to increase. In the district, 439 have already died with another nine just last weekend. Our hospitals are full and have been authorized to ration care. I fear for the community members I represent. If someone needs emergency medical attention, will they get it? How many more people will die?
I urge the governor not to waste taxpayer money to sue the federal government over the new vaccine mandates and instead take actions that will help slow the surge.
There may be a constitutional argument against federal vaccine mandates, but there is no question that the governor has the authority to act. The state of Idaho already requires other vaccines for public school attendance. Governors in other states have taken effective actions, actions that have already been deemed constitutional. We know what works. We need an aggressive campaign to get the rest of the state vaccinated and to get people to wear masks indoors.
Gov. Little is the only person with the authority to implement and enforce the policies we need.
He tried to pass off his responsibility onto us, local elected leaders. We tried and it isn’t working.
In Sandpoint, the all-volunteer city council was unable to pass even a basic mask ordinance. Council members and health board members, school boards, responsible businesses and even library boards and staff have faced intimidation and even threats.
Even if we could pass the needed policies, local jurisdictions wouldn’t have the authority to enforce them. We would have a patchwork of different policies across the state, covering only a fraction of residents. But COVID-19 doesn’t stop at county and city limits.
There is only one solution.
We need Gov. Little to use his executive authority to implement a statewide COVID response.
This is an emergency, the largest public health emergency in our state’s history. We need to do what is right for the people of the state, even if it isn’t politically popular with certain voters.
I understand how difficult it is to stand up to the most extreme elements of the governor’s political party. My own state representative, Heather Scott, has hosted mask burning events and has spread COVID misinformation. We can’t let extremists dictate public health policy when people are dying.
The people of Idaho need the governor to take responsibility and use his constitutional authority to bring the pandemic under control.
Shelby Rognstad is the mayor of Sandpoint, Idaho.
