A lawsuit against an area health department has been dropped.

According to a news release, the attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the Pettis County Health Center regarding harm from the Face Covering Rule dismissed the lawsuit on Friday, November 6. No explanation was provided as to why the lawsuit was dropped.

Health center officials say they are relieved that tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money will no longer be required to defend the actions of the Board of Trustees and the County Health Officer to protect the health of the community. They say “Regardless of anyone’s belief about the importance of a face covering in slowing the spread of (the) Coronavirus, state law and regulations require that public health authorities protect the community from communicable diseases. State law does not provide exceptions to these requirements.”

They also say, “As a community, we may disagree on the best approach to meeting the requirements to protect the health of the community, but we need to work together to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on this community. The Board of Trustees and the County Health Officer utilized the best available information from the CDC, the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the research literature in developing the face-covering rule.”

They also say, “Until there is another alternative, the strategies we have available to reduce the spread of the virus include face coverings, hand washing, staying six feet apart, avoiding crowds and staying home when ill or quarantined. We recognize there has been significant personal and economic impact as we deal with COVID 19. We believe when everyone follows the face-covering rule and other protective measures, we will see a decrease in cases and a return to a more normal way of life.”