When you can go back to the office, the gym, the bar: Little’s 4-step plan for Idaho
Gov. Brad Little on Thursday laid out a four-stage plan to reopen Idaho businesses from the coronavirus lockdown and return the state to a semblance of normalcy by the end of June.
Almost all retail stores and houses of worship would open in the first stage, May 1 to 15. Restaurants and hair salons would open in the second stage, May 16 to 29. Gatherings of up to 50 people would be allowed in the third, May 30 to June 12. Bars would reopen in the fourth, June 13 to 26.
The stay-at-home order first issued March 25 stays put until April 30.
“We know that we cannot reopen everything at once, and undo all the progress to prevent coronavirus deaths,” Little said at a news conference. “We do have a plan to safely and responsibly reopen our economy in stages, just as the president recommends.”
Little said the dates attached to the timetable are tentative and subject to continued adherence to social-distancing, mask-wearing and handwashing practices that authorities have urged since COVID-19’s spread led him last month to declare an emergency, and later to order Idahoans to stay at home.
He rejected the idea of implementing different stages at the same time in various parts of the state. Before Little’s stay-home order went into effect, Boise closed in-restaurant dining, which Little said led people to eat at Garden City restaurants.
The move from one stage to the next will require a downward trend or low numbers of COVID-19 illnesses or symptoms, according to an online summary of Little’s plan. Decisions will be made every two weeks, he said.
“We cannot and will not progress through the stages of the opening if people do not continue to take personal measures to limit their exposure to coronavirus,” Little said.
“That means for you to continue to stay at home as much as you can to keep us safe: social distancing of 6 feet between you and others who are not members of your household, wear protective face coverings in public, wash your hands as recommended.”
Here is Little’s plan:
Stage 1, May 1-15: Stores, places of worship
Most stores and other businesses could reopen, but not restaurant dining rooms, bars, nightclubs, hair and nail salons, indoor gyms, recreational sites, or convention or entertainment centers.
Churches and other places of worship can reopen if they adhere to strict physical distancing, sanitation protocols and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Day-care operations and organized youth activities and camps can reopen.
Little recommends that people now working at home keep doing so. Workers could return to their offices if personal distancing, personal protections and sanitation can be maintained there.
Employees who fall into groups especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 illness should continue to self-quarantine.
Public and private gatherings should be avoided.
Stage 2, May 16-29: Restaurants, gyms, salons
Restaurants could reopen their dining rooms once they submit plans to their local health district and have them approved.
Hair salons, indoor gyms and recreation facilities could reopen as well, if they’re able to meet health and safety protocols.
Public and private gatherings of fewer than 10 people could be held as long as health and safety guidelines are followed. Little left gatherings of students in school classrooms for the Idaho State Board of Education to decide.
Stage 3, May 30-June 12: Travel, bigger groups
Public and private gatherings of 10 to 50 people would be allowed, if social distancing and other health precautions are observed.
This stage would bring an end to 14-day self-quarantines for people entering Idaho from another state or country. It would also allow nonessential travel to resume to locations that allow it and do not have ongoing coronavirus transmission.
Stage 4, June 13-26: Bars, theaters, sports venues
Bars, nightclubs, movie theaters and sporting venues could reopen under limited physical distancing protocols.
Visits to senior living centers, jails and prisons could resume. Visitors would still have to be diligent with hygiene and physical distancing.
No vaccine, no normalcy
The governor said the state won’t get back to normal “until we have a vaccine.”
As of Wednesday, Idaho had reported 54 deaths and 1,693 confirmed cases in the coronavirus pandemic.
Little acknowledged that many people are upset by the stay-home order he issued March 25 and extended last week until the end of April. He took action, he said, to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and the effort is working. He said 99% of Idahoans have followed the order.
“I understand people are frustrated about when we’re going to be able to return to normal, when things are going to happen,” he said. “This plan today is that pathway I think it will alleviate a lot of that concern.”
Violators ‘jeopardize people’s health’
Little condemned businesses that have reopened in violation of his order, such as Middleton Fitness Center, which reopened Monday, and Slick’s Bar in Nampa, which announced it will reopen this weekend.
“I don’t condone it in any way, shape or form,” Little said. “It’s not fair to the competitors. It’s not fair to the rest of the citizens of Idaho that are making these sacrifices. People who don’t comply with this stage or other stages are jeopardizing people’s health.”
The governor said he found it “disgusting” that a group of protesters gathered Tuesday outside the house of a Meridian police officer hours after the officer arrested Meridian resident Sara Walton Brady. She had refused orders to leave a playground at Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park that was closed because of the coronavirus. Brady was part of a group of parents and children there.
But Little sidestepped questions about his reaction to comments by Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who has criticized his stay-home order and sent him a three-page letter opposing continuing the shutdown beyond April 30.
She is listed as the keynote speaker Saturday for an “all jobs are essential” rally in Eastern Idaho.
“The lieutenant governor represents all those people that have been incredibly frustrated,” Little said. “This is a concrete plan we’re putting out today, and I look forward to her support and her comments after she sees this.”
Schools: State board to decide
Little’s plan would leave it up to the Idaho State Board of Education to determine when schools could reopen.
Last week, the board extended closure of public school buildings through the end of the academic year. But it said if social-distancing orders are lifted and school districts met additional criteria set by the board, they could reopen.
“I don’t see anything in our criteria that would prevent the schools from opening,” Little said.
Unemployed workers: ‘My heart goes out to them’
Little said the state has authorized increased overtime pay for the Department of Labor to process unemployment claims. Nearly 109,000 claims for unemployment have been filed during the past five weeks, and the department has been overwhelmed. The department has hired new employees to help with the load.
On social media posts, people have complained they filed for unemployment but are waiting to be approved for payments.
“My heart goes out to them, particularly if they’re in a position where they can’t pay their rent and can’t buy groceries,” Little said. “We still have a ways to go, but we’re doing all we can with the Department of Labor to work as efficiently as we can.”
How Idaho’s plan compares to the federal plan
The White House released its guidelines for reopening the country last week, and Little’s guidelines follow similar criteria.
For each new stage to be introduced, Little’s plan says several targets must be hit:
- There must be adequate testing and a downward trajectory of positive cases within a 14-day period.
- Hospitals must be able to treat all patients without using crisis care and see a downward trend of emergency room visits where patients show COVID-19 symptoms.
- People who are at a higher risk of contracting or dying as a result of the virus must be protected.
The White House plan outlines how state and local officials may need to tailor the phases to regional needs and can specify county-by-county regulations.
Little said he does not anticipate that particular counties could open ahead of schedule, because people would then flock to a less restrictive county, creating the risk of another outbreak.
More COVID-19 testing planned
Of the 18,092 Idahoans tested for the COVID-19 virus, Little said, most have been health care workers and those deemed the most susceptible, such as elderly people and those with underlying conditions such as chronic lung disease, severe asthma, diabetes or heart disesase. Little said the state hopes to have more people tested.
“As we have capacity, the percent of the population we want to test is going to get bigger,” he said.
He said information on the state’s testing plans will be announced soon.
Setbacks are possible
At Central District Health, the public health department that oversees Ada, Elmore, Valley and Boise counties, more than 600 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed and 15 deaths reported as of Wednesday.
Brandon Atkins, a program manager for the department, said Wednesday that the public must remember that plans might be modified as health officials learn more about the virus and its spread. “We don’t have the full picture yet; it changes all the time,” Atkins said.
Because the virus is new, even the CDC has changed its guidelines since the pandemic first reached the United States.
As businesses begin to open and new cases of coronavirus are found, public health officials might be able to tie cases to specific businesses or locations, Atkins said. If that happens, then local actions could be taken.
Little emphasized Thursday that if new outbreaks happen or hot spots are found, the stages he’s proposed will see setbacks.
“If we have a problem, we absolutely have to preserve our health care capacity, because then we will lose consumer confidence and more importantly, we’ll put the people of Idaho at risk,” he said.
Reporter Ruth Brown contributed.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 12:13 PM.
