Idaho's lieutenant governor banned mask mandates while the governor was out of state

Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin
(Image credit: AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger, File)

While the governor's away, the lieutenant governor will play — or, in the case of Idaho's Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, she will issue an executive order prohibiting mask mandates, despite there never being a statewide ban.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was in Tennessee on Thursday for a GOP conference, and during his absence, McGeachin — who announced last week she is running for governor in 2022 — banned mask mandates. McGeachin tweeted that she issued the order, which does not apply to hospitals, health care facilities, or federal buildings, "to protect the rights and liberties of individuals and businesses."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.