The Idaho legislature voted on Friday to close until early April, after a coronavirus outbreak among six members of the state chamber.
The recess, which will last until April 6, comes after five Republicans and a Democrat in the lower house tested positive for the virus. Several Republican lawmakers in both chambers refused to wear masks during personal sessions, according to The Associated Press.
The recess will postpone debates on important issues, including the definition of the state budget.
“We cannot help but be disappointed at how bad things have become on Capitol Hill, when we could have prevented this from becoming a hot spot all the time,” said Democratic minority leader in the House, Ilana Rubel, and the leader of Democratic minority in the Senate, Michelle Stennett a joint statement.
“We are very sorry that we needed so many people to get sick in order to act. We must do better when we return, or we will continue to find ourselves in this position.”
Several House and Senate officials also contracted the virus, according to the AP.
Action by the Idaho legislature has recently focused on restricting the governor’s ability to impose coronavirus-related restrictions on the state. The House is working to pass a bill that would prevent the governor from issuing a masked mandate, according to the news agency.