BOISE — With the coronavirus pandemic rapidly worsening in Idaho, Gov. Brad Little on Monday announced that the state will go backward and re-enter Stage 3 of its Idaho Rebounds plan, with a few modifications.
The main repercussion of this move is that the limit on indoor gatherings reverts to 50 people or less, and outdoor gatherings will be limited to 25% capacity.
In-person church services may continue, travel is not restricted and businesses may remain open.
The governor announced the move during a news conference at the Idaho Statehouse, saying the state’s health care systems face an alarming demand in resources and increased hospitalizations.
“Hospitals throughout the state are quickly filling up or are already full with COVID-19 patients and other patients, and way too many health care workers are out sick with COVID-19,” Little said.
In Stage 3, larger venues can’t really be open for big events, so the move could affect some activities outside of Ada County, which has been in Stage 3 for a while. Bars may remain open as long as they meet safety and gathering protocols, including table seating only.
In months past, Little has repeatedly emphasized that Idahoans should practice personal responsibility during the pandemic. Little has resisted implementing far-reaching orders such as a statewide mask mandate, instead leaving those decisions to counties or local public health districts.
However, that approach has not yielded results. Coronavirus cases in Idaho have increased dramatically in the past month, as the state’s seven-day moving average was nearly 890 new daily cases as of Sunday. That seven-day moving average was 481.3 on Oct. 1.
“I sincerely hope that some people have finally passed the point of thinking the pandemic is not real or not a big deal,” Little said.
Idaho’s hospitalization rate has also grown to concerning levels, as the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare last reported that 259 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized. The uptick has strained hospital resources throughout the state, especially in the Magic Valley and Eastern Idaho.
As of Sunday, 569 Idahoans have died from COVID-19-related causes.
During the governor’s last press conference, on Oct. 15, Little announced that Idaho would once again stay in Stage 4 of reopening, as the state failed to meet the criteria needed to move forward. It was the ninth time Idaho failed to advance out of the final stage of reopening, and now the state is taking a step backward.
COVID-19 spread worsens
On Sunday, Idaho again set a record seven-day moving average, surging to a daily case rate of 889.14 over the past week. The state has consistently broken its record 12 days in a row amid a surge of new cases and hospitalizations.
At least one hospital, St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, has had to change policy because of the excessive number of coronavirus patients hospitalized. Last week, St. Luke’s said children who need hospitalization would be transferred to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise. Current patients will remain in the Magic Valley, and the hospital will continue admitting newborns to the NICU.
St. Luke's Magic Valley stops admitting children as hospital fills due to COVID-19
Coeur d’Alene’s Kootenai Health said Wednesday that it was at 99% capacity as coronavirus cases and the number of patients requiring hospitalizations spiked in North Idaho, according to the Coeur d’Alene Press. Officials in the area said last week that they feared the hospital could become overwhelmed.
Despite that, on Thursday, the Panhandle Health District’s Board of Health voted 4-3 to end the mask mandate in place for Kootenai County.
Central District Health, which has jurisdiction over Ada, Valley, Boise and Elmore counties, previously discussed recommending all sports in Ada County take a break. The health board sought a “pause” in most of those activities while Ada County is in the red category of community spread. The recommendation came after more than 150 students in the Boise area were quarantined because of COVID-19 cases on their school or youth sports teams.
However, the school districts have continued to play.
Little said during the news conference that the move back to Stage 3 does not mean he thinks Idaho schools should move to fully remote learning.
Return to Magicvalley.com for updates.
PHOTOS: Gov. Little tours Twin Falls High School
The Link LonkOctober 27, 2020 at 04:08AM
https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/news/state/idaho/gov-little-moves-idaho-back-to-stage-3-amid-statewide-surge-in-coronavirus-cases/article_55655aac-bef2-52ff-b592-a6bfcafaca9a.html
Gov. Little moves Idaho back to Stage 3 amid statewide surge in coronavirus cases - bigcountrynewsconnection.com
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