Marathon County Courthouse. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Marathon County Board of Supervisors will consider a resolution against any additional COVID-19-related mandates from the state level after the Health and Human Services committee approved the measure Wednesday afternoon.
District 6 Supervisor Stacey Morache wrote the measure, saying it is designed to protect residents from “healthcare overreach.”
“We have all been enjoying the past year, where most of our freedoms have been restored in regards to masks and vaccine mandates,” said Morache. “But we must not forget what it was like at the height of the pandemic. We must not forget how a group of people were vilified because they were not willing to sacrifice bodily autonomy without informed consent.”
Another Supervisor who spoke in favor of the measure cited an increase in mental health needs among students, saying he blamed much of that on remote learning and other measures that were put in place during the height of the pandemic in mid-2020 and early 2021. “If we keep pushing mandates and doing things that hurt or harm the children, you’re going to have things get worse and worse.”
But not everyone on the committee was in support of the measure. Another Supervisor questioned the language, saying some of the “whereas” statements contained opinions and cited weak sources, statements that were met with boos from a standing-room-only crowd in the County Boardroom.
The measure passed on a voice vote with one member of the seven-person committee voting nay and now goes to the full county board later this month. If passed, it would then be forwarded to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and appropriate members of the state Legislature.
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