|
Six
members of the Idaho House of Representatives are currently ill,
TV station KTVB reported.
Members of both chambers of the Republican-held state
legislature voted to recess in proceedings on Friday, at which
several lawmakers were not wearing face masks, video showed.
"I'm sure I can say this on behalf of all of us, that we wish
our colleagues in the House who are ill with COVID a speedy
recovery," State Senator Grant Burgoyne, a Democrat, said in the
session on Friday.
New daily COVID-19 cases in Idaho have fallen to about 320 on a
7-day average as of March 15, according to Reuters data. That is
down from a surge in December when the state was reporting more
than 1,000 new cases daily.
At the Idaho state capitol earlier this month, protesters burned
face masks to show their disagreement with local face covering
mandates that they view as a violation of civil liberties. The
state's Republican Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin attended
the event at the capitol, and at least two Republican
legislators expressed their support for "Burn the Mask" rallies,
the Washington Post reported.
The state Democratic party on Friday blamed the capitol's
outbreak on Republicans' refusal to wear masks.
"Let’s be clear: the Republicans and the Republican leadership
refused to wear masks, that is why this is happening. Period.
Recessing won’t stop the spread. Masks will," the Idaho
Democratic Party tweeted on Friday.
State Senate Majority leader Kelly Anthon and Lieutenant
Governor Janice McGeachin did not immediately return requests
for comment.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
