Council split as county commissioner urges caution on lifting mask mandate

At a May 17 special meeting, Council Member Jane Conard urged the Sun Valley City Council to exercise caution before lifting the city's indoor mask mandate, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance is "more nuanced." Blaine County Commissioner McCleary's comments, read aloud by Council President Michelle Griffith, also opposed immediate removal of the mask order.

Council President Griffith and Council Member Brad DuFur said local vaccination progress supports rescinding the order; Griffith stated that Sun Valley's vaccination rate is "over 100%," and DuFur called the local rollout "extremely good." The city attorney clarified that if the city rescinded its order, residents would instead be governed by the State of Idaho's Stage 4 healthy guidelines. The council voted 2-1 to rescind the order despite the cautionary remarks.