For new Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center board member Eric Becking, the wearing of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic should be a matter of personal choice.

Becking, a Cape Girardeau chiropractic physician who was narrowly elected to the county health center board earlier this month, attended his first board meeting Thursday and initially wore a mask, as did everyone else at the board table.

But nine minutes into the meeting he asked permission to take his off.

"I don't know the official rules, but typically in my life I wouldn't be masked up," he said. "Is it OK if I not wear a mask at the moment?"

"We strongly recommend people wear them as you're well aware," replied Georganne Syler, the board's vice chairwoman who was leading Thursday's meeting.

"Of course," Becking politely answered adding his mask was "really hot" on his face.

"Those of us that are vaccinated feel comfortable without them," Syler continued, "and so if you're not vaccinated, why don't you just take that chair a little farther away if you want to take your mask off. I would be comfortable if you pulled your chair slightly farther away if you're not vaccinated."

"I just want to be respectful," Becking answered as he distanced himself from the other board members.

"Thank you," Syler said. "I appreciate that."

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers, left, administers the oath of office to members of the county's Public Health Center Board of Trustees Thursday including, from left, John Freeze, Georganne Syler, Eric Becking and Philip Taylor. Not shown is board member Diane Howard who participated via speakerphone.JAY WOLZ

As Becking pulled his chair away from the table, newly appointed board member and retired physician Philip Taylor inched his chair slightly to his left, adding some additional distance between himself and Becking.

Asked by the Southeast Missourian after the meeting whether he has been or plans to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Becking said "as a chiropractor, I believe in natural health care." With the exception of shots required for traveling, he said he has avoided vaccinations.

"I'm not trying to buck the system and make people feel uncomfortable," he said in explaining his position. "I just want people to have a choice. It's not political; it's a personal preference."

The health board issued an emergency order last summer requiring people to wear face masks in public. However, the order was revised to a "strong recommendation" in March in light of declining COVID-19 cases and widespread vaccine availability.

In his report to the board Thursday, health center medical director John Russell said the number of "active cases" in Missouri is "relatively stable" with the exception of the St. Louis area where he said there has been an 11% increase of coronavirus cases "and a significant increase in hospitalizations."

However, "that is not the case in Southeast Missouri or Cape Girardeau County in particular," he said.

Russell also commented on the presence of the B117 COVID-19 variant in Missouri, which was first identified in the United Kingdom last fall.

"The sewer shed monitoring program where the (Missouri) Department of Natural Resources actually samples sewer water for virus, and Cape Girardeau has been a participant in that (program), and last week the virus sampling indicated 100% of the virus they were able to capture was the B117 virus," he said.

The B117 virus, also known as the U.K. variant, is more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus, Russell said.

"It doesn't result in worse disease or more hospitalizations," he said. "It just hops from person to person easier."