The day after the Brown County Board of School Trustees ratified a policy requiring masks in schools, the Brown County Commissioners issued a statement about personal choice on Aug. 13:

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has once again changed direction on mask guidance. The new CDC guidelines contradict prior guidance and may not reflect circumstances that exist in Brown County, Indiana.

“In Brown County, we believe health decisions are best made by individuals in consultation with their medical professionals. Common sense should be exercised. The county has worked diligently to ensure that vaccines and testing are available to those who want them. Masks may be worn by anyone who wants to wear one, and anyone who chooses to forego masks and vaccinations has a right to do so.

“We have lived through this pandemic for more than 18 months and citizens have been provided with information regarding how to protect themselves from COVID-19 and are fully capable of making their own decisions.

“Finally, we fully support and respect the right of citizens to make decisions regarding their own families. We will continue to do everything within our power to see that necessary services for testing and vaccinations are made available to everyone in the county, and we look forward to the time when we are able to move past the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The school board is in charge of policy in public schools, so the county commissioners’ statement does not change the schools’ mask policy.

Brown County Emergency Management Agency Director Susan Armstrong said Monday morning that businesses are still welcome and encouraged to make policies that are right for them; the commissioners’ statement does not mean they can’t do that.

As of Aug. 13, Brown County was under “high” COVID transmission according to the CDC’s tracker at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view. At “substantial” or “high,” the two highest levels, the agency advises that masks be worn by everyone in public places regardless of vaccination status.

Between Aug. 10 and 16, Brown County picked up 25 new cases of the virus and one new death, which occurred on Aug. 13.

Fifty percent of Brown County residents had received at least one COVID vaccine as of Aug. 16.

Of the more than 7,500 residents who’d received the vaccine, only 14 later developed COVID, said Brown County Emergency Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost.

Free vaccines and testing are being given at the health department, but appointments need to be made first at ourshot.in.gov or by calling 211. The health department is no longer doing rapid testing.

Children under 12 are not yet eligible for vaccines, making their protection dependent on the health and behavior of people around them.