GREENFIELD — After receiving a significant amount of correspondence on the issue from the public, the Hancock County Board of Commissioners plans to hold an upcoming meeting in the evening to discuss the issue of “vaccine passports” and other vaccination mandates.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 31 in the commissioners’ courtroom in the Hancock County Courthouse Annex. The commissioners plan to discuss other business in the first hour of the meeting and open comment on the vaccination issue at 7 p.m. Members of the public will be able to make comments, and the commissioners will consider a possible symbolic resolution on the topic.
Commissioner John Jessup said he’s received over 170 emails and a number of voicemails from people who want the commissioners to pass a resolution banning “vaccine passports” in the county.
Jessup said the correspondence so far has been one-sided, but he wanted to hold a public discussion on the issue before voting on a potential resolution “to give the other side a chance to speak.”
A conservative group in the county, the Hancock County Patriots, submitted a draft resolution to the commissioners that includes discouraging schools, businesses and other local entities from requiring documentation of vaccination.
No schools in Hancock County require vaccines. Unlike many other health systems around the country, Hancock Health has not required vaccines for its employees.
The commissioners said they didn’t want to encourage anyone to either receive or reject a COVID-19 vaccination.
“I just believe it’s a choice,” Commissioner Marc Huber said. “I’m not going to tell anybody they shouldn’t and I’m not going to tell anybody they should.”
Commissioner Bill Spalding said he believes vaccination is a personal medical choice, but by the same token, business owners have a right to decide for themselves what to require of their employees.
“I think it’s a personal choice of a private business,” he said.
The Supreme Court recently denied a request to consider a case on the legality of Indiana University’s vaccination requirement. That allows the lower court ruling that the university’s policy can go into effect to stand; students, faculty and staff at IU will be required to be fully vaccinated before entering campus. There are exemptions available for those with medical or religious reasons for not being vaccinated.
A state law passed at the end of the most recent session bans government entities — cities, towns and counties — from requiring their citizens to have documentation of vaccination. Such laws are often referred to as bans on “vaccine passports,” although a special passport for people who have been vaccinated does not actually exist.
Those who receive the COVID-19 vaccine receive a card showing the dates of their doses. Some private businesses have begun requiring customers to show a vaccination card before entering. Some businesses have also announced requirements that employees get vaccinated or lose their jobs; over 700 universities have vaccine mandates for students and staff.
Jessup acknowledged that a resolution on mask mandates wouldn’t have any legal authority, but he said the public is still asking for the county government to take a stand on the issue.
“They’re asking us to take a stand on whether it’s right or wrong, not whether we can do anything to change it,” he said. “Not whether these resolutions have any effect on the law. But they’re asking us to come alongside them and answer the question, is this right or is this wrong?”