Coronavirus In Idaho: Resources & News From March 29 - April 4

Boise State Public Radio is here to keep you current on the news surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This blog contains information from March 29 - April 4 on closures, cancellations & news regarding the coronavirus in Idaho.

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April 4 - 5:06 p.m.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported a total of 1,077 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday, an increase of 64 since Friday evening. There were no new fatalities reported. Today is the first day since March 29 to not have an increase in cases of 105 or more. The State said 10,261 people have been tested and 66 have been hospitalized.
Currently, the state is not releasing information on recovery numbers. Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said on Idaho Public Television Thursday, they were looking at a way to release that information in the future.
 

April 4 - 9:45 a.m.

At an emergency meeting April 4, The Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopted a rule temporarily suspending the sale of several types of nonresident fishing and hunting licenses, tags, and permits.  The suspension will remain in place until repealed by the commission following relevant state of Idaho public health orders.
Resident licenses and tags are not included in the suspension, and permits purchased prior to April 4 by nonresident sportsman remain valid.

Nonresident hunting licenses along with currently available nonresident deer and elk tags are not included in the suspension. Nonresidents who purchase a 2020 hunting license may still apply for controlled hunts that will occur this fall.

April 3, 5:28 p.m.

Idaho has topped 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

That includes at least 10 deaths, up one from yesterday. Nez Perce County, in north central Idaho, reported an additional COVID-19 death, its second.

The number of confirmed cases is more than neighboring Oregon, which has more than twice the number of people as Idaho.

This week, the daily rate of confirmed cases has risen rapidly, with a caseload increase of more than 100 for each of the last five days.

April 3, 5:00 p.m.

A fund aimed at helping people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with basics like housing, health care, and food has attracted more than $1 million in donation commitments, according to a statement by The COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund for Idaho.

The fund is a collaboration between several companies and philanthropy groups.

The first round of grants from the fund is set to go out next week and grants will continue throughout April, according to the statement.  

April 3, 2020 4:51 p.m.

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden will not seek penalties for non-compliance of patient privacy protections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA, restricts certain personal information health care workers can release about patients.

“Health care providers must continue to comply with all other laws or rules that govern the provision of telehealth services, and the enforcement discretion set forth in this statement only applies to the HIPAA matters discussed in the OCR Notification,” a release from Wasden’s office says.

It also says health care workers with questions can call The Office of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 208-334-2424.

April 3, 4:37 p.m.

Washington County has reported it’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, according to Southwest District Health.

The case was a woman in her 70s who is recoverin at home. Officials are investigating the source of transmission.

Washington County is a largely rural area in southwest Idaho on the Oregon border. It includes the town of Weiser.

April 3, 4:36 p.m.

Ada County Highway District says active school zones are not still on by mistake. Most school zones were turned off for spring break and have remained off, but zones remain active around schools providing essential worker childcare and meal pickup sites. ACHD says active school zones will continue to be enforced.

April 3, 4:31 p.m. 

Boise School District has expanded their grab and go meal service again. Beginning Monday, free sack meals will be available for drive-up from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday a the following locations.
 

• Garfield Elementary(1914 S Broadway Ave) - in front of school 
• Grace Jordan Elementary(6411 W Fairfield Ave) - in front of school
• NEW - Hawthorne Elementary(2401 W Targee St) - at the bus loop entrance off Targee Street
• NEW - Hillcrest Elementary(2045 S Pond St) - in front of school
• NEW - Koelsch Elementary(2015 N Curtis Rd.) - in front of school (NO BUS ROUTE starting 4/6/20)
• Morley Nelson Elementary(7701 W Northview St) - at the student drop off loop by Community Center
• Taft Elementary(3722 N Anderson St) - in front of school 
• Whitney Elementary(1609 S Owyhee St) - at the bus loop drop off near the Community Center entrance
• Whittier Elementary(301 N 29th St) - at the bus loop entrance

 
Any child, ages 1-18 can receive one breakfast and one lunch per day to eat at home. No identification or proof of school enrollment is required. 

If your child requires special meal accommodations, contact the Boise School District Food & Nutrition Services office at 208-854-4067.

April 3, 4:30 p.m.

South Central Public Health District says a woman over the age of 70 in Twin Falls County has died of COVID-19. She had “complicating health factors” and is the first confirmed COVID-19 death in the county.

The health district also reported the first case of community spread in the county, meaning someone infected with COVID-19 likely was exposed by someone else in the area.

April 3, 4:27 p.m.

A north Idaho Sheriff is publicly opposing Gov. Brad Little’s stay-at-home order, asking him to convene an emergency session of the Idaho Legislature.

Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, cites an online rant by a Florida organic food store owner who leans largely on baseless conspiracy theories in a letter to Little.

“In the spirit of liberty and the Constitution, you can request those that are sick to stay home, but, at the same time, you must release the rest of us to go on with out normal business,” the letter reads.
 

Bonner County is at the tip of the panhandle, bordering Canada in the north.

April 2 - 2:30 p.m. 

The Panhandle Health District is reporting 39 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with all but two of them in Kootenai County, which includes the city of Coeur d’Alene. The other two cases are in Bonner County, where Sheriff Daryl Wheeler has said he’s against enforcing Gov. Brad Little’s stay-at-home order. The health district has community spread, has the fourth highest cases statewide and covers the far north of Idaho up to the Canadian border.

 April 3 - 11:30 a.m.

The Idaho Maximum Security Institution confirmed that one staffer has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the Idaho Department of Corrections, the staffer has been symptom free for several days and was self-quarantined prior to receiving the positive test result. 
 
The staffer is not thought to have been contagious when they last went into work. 
 

April 2 - 8:45 p.m. 

Jackson's Food Stores announced Thursday an employee at its SW 4th Ave location in Ontario, Oregon tested positive for COVID-19. That employee, now recovering at home, had contact with staff at other Jackson's stores in Parma (E Grove Ave) and Notus (HWY 20/26). Jackson's said it closed all three stores temporarily for a precautionary deep-cleaning, and the affected stores will reopen at 6 a.m. Friday.

April 2 - 6:29 p.m. 

Boise State University announced additional confirmed cases on Campus Thursday. Details were not released. In an email to the campus community, the school says COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in on-campus student housing and off-campus apartments where large numbers of students reside.

April 2 - 5:52 p.m. 

The state of Idaho saw a 222 jump in cases Thursday bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 891. There have been no new deaths reported in the last two days bringing the state total to nine since the first case was diagnosed last month. Idaho’s population is less than two million, but it now has more cases than neighboring Oregon that has twice the population. Oregon has 826 cases. The state case number has continued to increase this week with a 144 jump on Wednesday and a more than 100 jump the day before. 

Sparsely populated Blaine County remains the epicenter of cases at 351 and Ada County has 307. 

 April 1 - 7:05 p.m.

A reporter for a Boise television station who covered the Idaho Legislature and attended recent news conferences held by Gov. Brad Little said he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Joe Parris of KTVB-TV said Wednesday he was tested on March 24 and was told Tuesday he had the virus.

Parris covered Little’s press conferences on March 16 and 18 along with other Statehouse reporters, who intermingle with the state’s 105 lawmakers. The Legislature adjourned March 20 due to coronavirus concerns, opting not to stick around for possible veto override votes.

“It wasn’t until the weekend after that I developed a cough, and then I self-isolated,” Parris said.

He said he had no symptoms the final week of the Legislature, and avoided shaking hands and kept his distance from people in hopes of avoiding the virus. He said he’s not sure where he picked it up. He hadn’t been to Blaine County, a hot spot in the state for the virus.

Parris said he initially thought he had the flu, but he said it turned out to be a worse experience. He’s now recovered.

April 1 - 6:30 p.m.

When the state initially reported numbers at 5:00 p.m., it erroneously reported there were 673 confirmed cases. This post has been updated to reflect the correct numbers.

The number of confirmed cases in the state of Idaho jumped to 669, a 144 increase from the day before. The caseload for Blaine County remains at the highest for the state at 256. With a population of around 23,000, this means the sparsely populated county has one of the highest rates per capita in the country. Ada County, the largest county in the state with a population of more than 480,000 has the next highest count in the state at 226. There were no new deaths reported on Wednesday with the number of deaths in Idaho staying at nine. More than 7,000 people have been tested in state and commercial labs.

April 1 - 5:35 p.m. 

Eastern Idaho Public Health District has confirmed the first case of community spread of COVID-19 in Teton County. According to a press release, the male patient is in his 50s and is hospitalized with an underlying medical condition. 

The district has also confirmed one additional case in Custer County and one new case in Bonneville County.

April 1 - 5:16 p.m. 

Idaho's South Central Public Health District has confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Gooding County.

According to a press release, the person is a woman in her 50s. Officials are investigating how she caught the virus. She is isolating at home with mild symptoms.  

April 1 - 3:09 p.m.

Southwest District Health announced a total of five cases of coronavirus in Gem County thus far. Health officials have also confirmed community spread of the virus within the county.

“Community spread means through our investigation we are unable to determine the source of exposure,” SWDH director Nikole Zogg said in a press release Wednesday.

Community spread has also been confirmed in Ada, Bingham, Blaine, Canyon, Kootenai and Madison Counties.

April 1 - 11:15 a.m.

There will now be a mobile testing unit to make sure Boise’s homeless residents are being tested for COVID-19. It will be around the Interfaith Sanctuary shelter on weekdays from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., according to Jodi Peterson-Stigers, executive director at that shelter. It will be able to drive to other area shelters to test, too. Rev. Bill Roscoe, president and CEO of Boise Rescue Mission Ministries said on Tuesday that they haven’t had any positive tests out of about a dozen taken at Boise Rescue Mission shelters. He said three people were still in quarantine.

Homeless populations are considered “high risk,” and will be able to get tests back within three days, according to Stigers. The testing is being run through Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, which says it will be testing anyone who is showing mild or severe COVID-19 symptoms when they’re screened.

“We don’t want any cases of Covid in the homeless shelters because in congregate facilities the infection can spread to dozens of people very quickly,” Dr. Penny Beach, Chief Medical Officer of Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, said in a statement.

April 1 - 9:39 a.m.

Boise State University will move all summer classes to online or remote delivery formats. Departments are in the midst of determining what classes will be able to make the shift to online courses. 

Online classes are very popular for summer semester. Nearly 80% of the summer 2020 enrollments were already in online courses. 

Enrollment in summer classes will be disabled until changes to the summer schedule are finalized on April 7.

April 1 - 9:15 a.m.

Blaine County Commissioners decided on Tuesday to stop the sale of recyclable materials for an undetermined period of time; instead, shipping boxes, aluminum cans and jugs will be sent to the landfill in Burley.

Employees who work at the recycling center say they were worried about potentially being exposed to coronavirus when sorting materials like cardboard.  

Crews will still collect recycling materials from curbside and drop-off sites, but the items won’t be sorted.

March 31 - 5:44 p.m.

After cancelling its performance of Light/Dark earlier this month, Ballet Idaho is bringing the stage to people’s homes.

The nonprofit is making available video of stage rehearsals for the production available to donors online this coming weekend. A link will be emailed to supporters Friday evening.

Those who donate will be able to watch the performance anytime between the nights of April 3 through April 5.

The organization says it will continue to pay artists and staff through the remainder of the season, despite two postponed shows and a “substantial hit” in lost revenue.

March 31 - 5:18 p.m.

South Central Public Health District and Southwest District Health have confirmed the first cases of COVID-19 in Adams and Camas counties Tuesday.

It’s unclear how the man in his 60s in Adams County contracted the coronavirus, according to public health officials. He’s recovering well at home, they said.

South Central Public Health District only confirmed that Camas County’s first case was an adult woman. They say she likely picked up the virus by traveling to areas with community spread.

Her health status, as well as whether she’s been hospitalized is unknown and state officials say that information is confidential.

March 31 - 5:05 p.m.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, continue to climb in Idaho. 100 more cases have been reported within the last day.

State officials report 525 cases, with 9 deaths.  

Ada County, Idaho’s largest, keeps surging, and now effectively shares the distinction as the epicenter of the state’s outbreak with 195 cases.

Blaine County, where much of the spread began, has 192 cases.

5,712 people have been tested among private and state laboratories.

45 people have been hospitalized from COVID-19 in Idaho so far. 

25 health care workers have contracted the disease as of Tuesday evening.

March 30 - 8:02 p.m.

St. Mary’s and Clearwater Valley Hospitals and Clinics are temporarily shutting down rural locations to funnel patients to their main facilities.

According to the Idaho County Free Press, clinics in Craigmont, Elk City and Nez Perce will shut down for the time being.

Other locations in Grangeville, Kamiah, Kooskia and Orofino remain open, according to the newspaper.

All elective surgeries have been cancelled and other services, like imaging or physical therapy, will only be allowed after consultation with a patient’s primary care provider.

March 30 - 6:19 p.m.

Eastern Idaho Public Health announced three new cases of COVID-19 Monday evening, two of which it says were acquired through community transmission.

That brings the region’s total number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 13. That’s three higher than what the state has released, which could be the result of a delay or because a patient’s main residence is outside of Idaho.

The three new cases confirmed Monday include a woman in her 20s, a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s. None of them were hospitalized and each are recovering at home.

March 30 - 6:12 p.m.

Central District Health has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Elmore County. The individual is a female over the age of 50. More information was not available at the time of the announcement.

CDH has reported a total of 166 cases — one in Elmore County, two in Valley County and 163 in Ada County, where three COVID-19-related deaths have occurred. Boise County has yet to report a confirmed case.

March 30 - 5:41 p.m.

South Central Public Health District has confirmed the first death related to coronavirus in Cassia County. The individual was a female over the age of 70. She had pre-existing health conditions and was hospitalized after contracting the virus from visitors to her home who were from areas where there was documented community spread.

March 30 - 5:25 p.m.

After a special board meeting held Monday, the Idaho State Board of Education is considering its options for K-12 education amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. The current “soft closure” directive lasts through Monday April 20 and any decision to extend it beyond that date will only come after meetings with state public health officials and the Governor’s office.

“Our first priority is the safety of our students and school staff and to provide support to administrators and local boards,” said Board President Debbie Critchfield in a press release.

In the meantime, schools throughout the state continue to develop “remote learning” offerings.

March 30 - 5 p.m.

Idaho health officials reported 105 new cases of coronavirus Monday, with one additional death.

That brings the state’s total to 415 cases and seven deaths.

Ada County, Idaho’s most populous county, surpassed Blaine County for the highest number of total cases for the first time.

151 people have contracted COVID-19 in Ada County, compared to 148 people in rural Blaine County.

More than 4,700 people have been tested among commercial laboratories and the state’s public health lab.

March 30 - 4:15 p.m.

Governor Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney announced Monday that the May 19 primary election will not be postponed, but will be switched to a mail-only ballot. A press release said the move is necessary because there weren’t enough polling places or workers for the election. Little and Denney will work with the Attorney General and the clerks of the state’s 44 counties on figuring out the absentee voting process, including registration deadlines. 

Idahoans can request an absentee ballot here.

March 29 - 5:00 p.m.

The State of Idaho reports there are 310 confirmed cases of COVID-19. By the end of the weekend, the state has reported six deaths. Blaine County still has the most cases at 115, but Ada County has just two fewer cases at 113. Both counties each have had two virus-related deaths. Canyon County has the next highest number of cases at 40 and one death. Nez Perce County has only four cases, but one fatality. Commercial labs have tested 3,139 individuals, more than twice the amount the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories has tested at 1,567. 

March 29 - 11:36 a.m.

Southwest District Health has confirmed the first COVID-19 case in Owyhee County. The individual is a female in her 40s. Her condition was not immediately reported, and the source of transmission is under investigation.

News & Updates:

• The Idaho Official Resources for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
• World Health Organization Coronavirus Updates
• NPR Coronavirus Coverage

Resources:

• Coronavirus FAQ: Your Questions, Answered
• When And How To Wash Your Hands
• CDC U.S.Map
• Johns Hopkins World Map
• Idaho Governor Brad Little's Facebook
• Idaho Governor Brad Little's COVID-19 Twitter