WATCH: Central District Health votes on proposed public health order

The Central District Health board voted on Tuesday to reject a proposed district-wide public health order.

The board voted 3-3, with board members from Ada County voting in favor of the plan and board members from Boise, Elmore and Valley counties voting against it.

Existing orders in Ada and Valley counties, as well as the existing district-wide public health advisory, will remain in effect.

The new public health order, which was published to the public on Dec. 4, would enact new restrictions - primarily focused on mask usage and limiting gathering sizes - on individuals and businesses.

Last week, CDH met to vote on the proposed order but the meeting was cut after 15 minutes when hundreds of protesters gathered at the district's headquarters and some others went to the homes of two board members. The Boise Police Department and the City of Boise Mayor Lauren McLean requested the meeting to end due to public safety concerns.

The revised public health order would allow youth and adult sporting events to go on, there would be more exemptions to the face mask mandate, visitations to long-term care facilities may continue under certain requirements, and bar top seating - at bars and restaurants - would be allowed so long as a barrier is in place between the customers and the bartenders.

Ahead of the meeting, both Boise Police and Idaho State Police will beef up their presence at CDH.

“We are going to do everything we can to make sure that they have the ability to carry out their meeting,” Deputy Chief Ron Winegar said. “It can be relatively free from disruption or at least those disruptions will be managed.”