High coronavirus hospitalization rates are still preventing Idaho from fully graduating out of his reopening plan.
This is the state’s eighth go-around with Stage 4 of Gov. Brad Little’s reopening plan, which has been in place since mid-June. All businesses are allowed to reopen in some capacity – barring local restrictions.
The most recent data from earlier this week show a slight decline in overall hospitalizations, but the number of patients in the ICU due to COVID-19 are as high as they’ve ever been.
While he sees overall case counts declining, Little said he worries that the longer the pandemic stretches on, fewer people will follow public health guidelines.
“Kids are not having a problem at all with face coverings,” he said. “It’s people my age that are having the problem with it. But I worry about COVID fatigue and every time they get a little good news they go, ‘Well, we don’t have to do anything anymore.’”
The governor also touted Idaho’s rapid economic recovery, at least in terms of unemployment. It stands at 4.2% – half of the national average and third best in the country.
He’ll reassess his reopening strategy in two weeks.
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