Winona County Board of Commissioners Chair Marcia Ward.
WINONA, Minn. (KWNO)-Winona County Board of Commissioners Chair Marcia Ward discusses the possibility of a county-wide mask mandate on KWNO’s In the Know Friday morning.
“I do not support a mandate. I highly encourage people to do what they need to. I support mask choice. I highly encourage masks in certain situations. I’m encouraging people, if they feel comfortable, to get the vaccine,” Ward said. Ward said she’s awaiting further information and clarity about the possible masking order.
Ward said she’s gotten more communications from her constituents than she has for almost any other issue in the past 20 years.
“This is what my job is supposed to do is represent the people,” said Ward, who represents the 5th District in southeast and south-central Winona County. “The county board moving towards a county-wide mask mandate is problematic in my opinion because I’m not seeing that request coming from my constituency.”
Ward said the data surrounding combating COVID keeps changing. “The overload of information is difficult and you need to sorting through it,” Ward said.
“It is overwhelming the amount of data people collect and synthesize and use to justify the actions they’re asking to be taken,” said Ward.
Last month, the board voted 3-2 to advance the process for possibly implementing a county-wide mask mandate. The board could hold a vote on the mandate this month.
Daily infections in Winona County fell from a peak of 67 on Aug. 26 to 7 on Aug. 29, according to the Wednesday update of the county’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Listen to the full interview with Commissioner Ward below.
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