LIVINGSTON — Some Park County residents are concerned as the Health Board considers a new draft of the county’s Isolation and Quarantine Plan.
"Personal freedoms are kind of our God-given right, and sometimes I feel like there is government overreach to the point that it starts to make people uncomfortable," says Livingston resident Sally Dahl.
Dahl came to Livingston from Big Timber 40 years ago, raising both of her children in Park County. She says she was shocked to hear of the proposal.
"The health department was going to decide the where, when, how, why, if, but—all of it," Dahl says.
The 16-page draft proposal outlines the protocol for isolation and quarantine measures in the event of a bioterrorism event, communicable disease outbreak, or pandemic.
Dahl says, "I thought that they were just really, really stringent and terrifying, scary really. Just because of the fact that they were so intense."
One section that has residents on edge is the "involuntary detention for isolation and quarantine" clause for those suspected to be exposed and who don’t cooperate with health officials.
The proposal states that the Sheriff’s Office may execute arrest warrants in the event of noncompliance.
"They could even determine after your quarantine what treatment, so that you can get out of the quarantine. And that treatment could possibly be a medication or a drug you didn’t feel comfortable taking," says Dahl.
She says this plan shows an extreme lack of trust on the part of the local government and makes her question the motivations behind the proposal.
"People have common sense, and they should be allowed to demonstrate that they can do that," says Dahl.
A follow-up board meeting was canceled this week due to “targeted personal attacks,” the Livingston Enterprise reports, leaving residents with many questions.
Dahl says, "I’d just like to see them step back a little bit, or a lot, and give them that chance to use common sense. And if that doesn’t work and it becomes widespread, I think the community would welcome feedback."
