An effort to repeal Gov. Brad Little’s limitations on gatherings is headed to the full House for a vote.
Right now, public and private gatherings are limited to 10 people according to the governor’s latest executive order. Those restrictions came about late last year. As of Monday afternoon, 1,607 people have died from COVID-19 and more than 155,000 confirmed and probable cases have been recorded in Idaho.
Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa), who’s sponsoring a resolution to dump these restrictions, said they “disenfranchise” family members from going to school sporting events. Current rules only allow two spectators per athlete, which don’t include parents whose children are on a dance team that might perform at halftime.
Demick Hatch, the student body president and an athlete at Hillcrest High School in Ammon, said morale is low right now.
“Being in a school right now is a drag at times. It feels like a chore. It feels like there’s no incentive to go,” Hatch said.
Letting more people attend games, he said, would give a boost to school spirit.
Rep. John Gannon (D-Boise) said he sees merit in applying some wiggle room on occupancy depending on a facility’s size or other factors that could make the space safer.
“But I don’t think we can go to an extreme and just say, ‘Ok, everything’s normal,’ because everything isn’t normal and it’s not going to be normal for a couple more months,” Gannon said.
The resolution passed nearly unanimously in committee and now heads to the full House for consideration.
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