Three years after the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho lawmakers are pushing once again to ban mask mandates implemented in the interest of public health.
Nationally, and in Idaho, Republican politics became polarized around restrictions put in place during the health emergency. The bill from Rep. Robert Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend, is the same as one proposed last year to prohibit the mandatory precautions in the name of public health.
Beiswenger told a House committee on Tuesday that his bill aimed to counteract "overreach" during the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed more than 1.2 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and put "guardrails" on government restrictions.
The bill would prohibit any government entity in Idaho -- including cities, schools and public health districts -- from mandating masks or face shields. It includes an exemption for instances when wearing a mask is "necessary to perform required job duties," such as health care workers, biohazard workers or other industrial workers.
The proposal follows a series of efforts by Idaho Republicans to limit public health requirements in the state.
Republican Gov. Brad Little signed a law in 2023 which prohibits most employers -- public and private -- from mandating vaccines as a condition of employment.
In 2021, then-Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, also a Republican, briefly issued an executive order banning masks, on a day when Little was out of town and she was acting governor. A day later, Little reversed her order and called it a "political stunt."
Dr. David Pate is a retired physician and the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System -- and a frequent critic of misinformation about medical research and health research. He told the Idaho Statesman by phone Tuesday that he does not object to the latest mask bill if it leads to a public discussion about other ways to improve public health, like encouraging schools or other public buildings to have better ventilation and filtration systems.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pate said mask requirements were ineffective, and led to zealous backlash that prompted people to spread misinformation about vaccines or push for extreme measures, like banning MRNA vaccines.
Undermining scientific research did "far more harm" to public health, Pate said, and made it more difficult for people who wanted to follow the recommended guidelines to do so.
"I would trade them this bill for a bill that public buildings need to meet new air standards," Pate said, pointing out that improved filtration at schools has been shown to not only decrease COVID-19 transmission, but also influenza, which has increased student performance and could also help limit wildfire smoke indoors.
"We're going to work with you on this, but we need you to work with us on something else," he said. "Giving people correct information is far more important than mandating their actions."
A strain of influenza known as bird flu has spread widely across the U.S., has infected 67 people and been associated with one death, according to the CDC.
Pate said he doesn't know whether bird flu will begin to efficiently spread between people, but, if it does, it is likely COVID-19 will "pale in comparison to this."
"I am absolutely in a state of shock and awe as I look at what that virus has done over the past two years, how it's changing and how it's adapting in ways we have not seen before," he said. "COVID is not going to be our last pandemic, and, frankly, I really doubt that COVID will be the worst pandemic that we see in the future."