Federal mandates still dictate that a medical facility implement a mask policy if the risk of COVID-19 transmission is high. Crook County Medical Services District (CCMSD) has been hoping to drop the mask requirement for a couple of months now, but, so far, it’s been a no-go.

“We were able to get rid of masks for four whole days,” CEO Micki Lyons wryly commented last week.

Unfortunately, the county’s status then jumped back to red, which means “high community transmission”, before downgrading a step to orange.

If a county manages to remain at the orange level for 14 days, it ca...