County considers resolution opposing COVID controls

Four months after the federal government declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency, Marathon County supervisors are embroiled in a debate over whether to officially oppose any future mask mandates, vaccine requirements and lockdown orders.

At a well-attended, often-fiery meeting of the Health and Human Services Committee on Sept. 6 – which included anti-Semitic remarks by a member of the public who was told he was “out of order” – the committee voted to recommend approval of a resolution opposing several public health measures previously used to prevent the spread of COVID- 19.

The resolution will be forwarded to the full county board, which will discuss it at its Sept. 21 educational meeting and vote on it the following Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Introduced by supervisor Stacy Morache, the resolution states “that, unless required by law, Marathon County residents should not have their civil liberties jeopardized by mandates pertaining to face coverings or masking, vaccine requirements, or forced isolation, and should be free to make their own choices regarding whether to, and where to, utilize face coverings, vaccinate, or isolate.”

In justifying its opposition to these mandates, the resolution refers to “studies that have shown that face masking may not have had a demonstrable effect on the transmission of airborne viruses such as COVID-19.” It also cites Wisconsin Statute 252.041, which “permits individuals, for reasons of religion or conscience, to refuse vaccination during a public health emergency.”

The resolution also states that “forced” masking, vaccines and social distancing “may have caused harm to adults and children by contributing to isolation and increasing mental health crises and social anxieties.”

Morache said she introduced the resolution in response to a recent “fear campaign” over “what’s been dubbed ‘respiratory illness season,’” and as a way to prevent another encroachment on civil liberties in the name of public health protections.

“We must not forget that a group of people were vilified because they were not willing to sacrifice bodily autonomy without informed consent,” she said.

In making her argument to the committee, Morache questioned the number of small businesses that had to close during the pandemic, the number of health care workers who lost their jobs because they would not take the vaccine and the number of people who may have suffered “serious adverse events” after being vaccinated. She also cited data about the increase in mental health disorders and cognitive decline among young people.

Morache also referenced the board’s mission to be “the safest, healthiest and most prosperous county in Wisconsin.”

“In order to do that, we need to support the health care rights and freedoms of our citizens, and I ask you to please support this resolution so we can set an example for other counties to stand up and protect their residents too,” she said.

Supervisor Ann Lemmer, however, pushed back on some of the statements in Morache’s resolution, noting that many of them are opinions based on sources of dubious reliability.

“The articles used to support it do not fit the credibility requirement that I would have asked of my eighth-graders who were writing persuasive papers for me,” she said, provoking some boos from the audience. “You’ve got to look at the credibility and expertise and really dig deeper.”

Lemmer also questioned how the resolution, if adopted, would impact the health and well-being of aging adults and other vulnerable populations.

“My own dad is living with Parkinson’s, and I’ve worked really hard over the past several years to try and protect him so I don’t inadvertently give him this virus, which I’ve suffered from several times,” she said.

Ultimately, the committee voted 5-1 to advance the resolution to the full board, with the only no vote coming from supervisor Alyson Leahy. Chairwoman Michelle Van Krey was absent.

Health officer speaks

County health officer Laura Scudiere told committee members that she does not have the authority to enforce mask mandates or vaccine requirements, and her office is restricted in its ability to quarantine individuals with an infectious disease.

Scudiere said health officers are responsible for investigating cases of communicable diseases, and they are required to report that information to the state. She said they also work to “mitigate further exposure to the public,” but they must do so in a way that is “reasonable and necessary.”

Health officers “seek voluntary compliance with quarantine or isolation guidelines,” she said, and the county hasn’t had to issue an isolation order in 17 years because public health nurses work with the public instead. If someone does not comply with an order, she said the health department would have to petition a court and prove they are using the “least restrictive methods to ensure public health.”

“Thankfully, we have not had to go down this route yet,” she said.

Marathon County does not have a communicable disease enforcement ordinance, so any orders issued by the health department are advisory only, she said. However, she said private entities can enact their own mask and vaccine mandates.

Of the nine people who spoke during public comment, seven expressed support for the resolution and two said they were against it. At times, committee vicechairperson Jennifer Aarrestad struggled to keep the crowd from applauding and interjecting while people spoke.

“I feel like I’m talking to my children,” she said after asking the audience multiple times to maintain decorum and refrain from clapping.

Resident Christine Salm said the resolution was based on “fringe-based theories,” and called the whole discussion “a waste of taxpayers’ time and money.”

“Masks work, period,” she said, drawing laughter from others in the audience. “Peer-reviewed studies support this.”

Salm said the resolution is “steeped in COVID misinformation and conspiracy theories” and called it “nothing more than political theater.”

“It prevents this board from doing the important work of running this county,” she said. “Let the experts do their job and stop wasting the board’s time and resources with junk science and your personal agendas.”

Many others who spoke, however, said it’s government agencies like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that have been spreading misinformation and propaganda about COVID-19 and the science behind masks and vaccines.

Dan Joling of Kronenwetter said he has personally witnessed “deaths from COVID treatments and protocols” and that many of his family members are still suffering after consulting “alleged experts.” He said he and his wife are “not going to comply” if further mandates are put in place.

“Fear equals nothing more than control,” he said.

One individual, Christopher Wood, was repeatedly asked to stop talking after he started implying that Jewish people were behind what he called the COVID “scam.” He listed the names of several people at the CDC and pharmaceutical companies, and after each name, he said “dual citizenship with Israel, Jew.”

Aarrestad told Wood that his comments were “out of order,” but he continued speaking before eventually returning to his seat. One woman in the audience urged Aarrestad to “let him speak,” citing his right to free speech.

Other supporters of the resolution stuck to more conventional arguments, questioning the safety of the vaccines and the effectiveness of wearing masks.

Tom Schuette said “it has been welldocumented that government agencies at all levels failed with COVID 19, resulting in tremendous harm.”

“This resolution makes perfect sense to me. I support it and urge you to support it,” he told the committee. “It’s hard for me to believe that anyone would still have blind trust in these agencies.”