Coronavirus: Senior hours at stores, council president self-quarantines, Masses canceled
Here’s a roundup of everything you should know today about the coronavirus in Idaho:
Senior hours at grocery stores
Some stores are opening for “senior hours” to allow older customers to shop in stores without fear of larger crowds as coronavirus spreads.
Albertsons announced Wednesday that it would reserve 7 to 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays for “vulnerable shoppers,” including senior citizens, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.
“We are asking our customers to respect these special hours for those who are most at risk in our communities,” Vivek Sankaran, president and CEO, said in a news release.
Other stores have taken similar steps. Target announced Tuesday it would reserve the first hour of shopping each Wednesday for vulnerable guests, while Dollar General encouraged shoppers to respect a policy for seniors to be able to shop in the first hour its stores are open each day.
The Boise Co-op is offering a shopping hour from 8 to 9 a.m. for anyone 60 and older. The special shopping hour will happen seven days a week, but people will need to bring their ID for age verification.
Boise council president self-quarantines
Elaine Clegg, president of the Boise City Council, said Wednesday that she is self-quarantining until next Tuesday, March 24, after attending a National League of Cities conference where two attendees later tested positive for COVID-19.
She said in a news release that she attended a 75-person committee meeting with one of the people who tested positive, but the conference had a policy to not shake hands and offered hand sanitizer to attendees.
Clegg said she has been in contact with her doctor but has not had any symptoms.
She attended a news conference at Boise City Hall on Monday but participated in Tuesday’s City Council meeting remotely. Clegg said she would “continue to help lead the city’s response to the coronavirus and any other work virtually.”
Catch up on the latest coronavirus news
▪ Idaho announced its ninth confirmed coronavirus case Tuesday.
▪ Drive-up testing has arrived in Idaho.
▪ Some utilities will cut you some slack.
▪ See if your favorite restaurant is making changes.
▪ For details on each case, go to our case tracker here.
▪ For all of our coronavirus coverage, click here.
▪ Sign up for our coronavirus newsletter here.
▪ Know someone who needs coronavirus information in Spanish? It’s here.
Vote by mail to avoid crowds
Due to coronavirus concerns, Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney is encouraging voters to vote by mail for the May 19 state primary. Registered voters may request an absentee ballot until 5 p.m. May 8. Voters also can request an absentee ballot, in person or in writing, from their county clerk’s office. Absentee ballots must be returned to the voter’s respective county clerk’s office by 5 p.m. May 19. Unregistered voters can register online at idahovotes.com or at their county clerk’s office.
Catholic Diocese of Boise cancels public Masses
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise is canceling all public Masses starting this weekend, citing safety concerns for parishioners and “a good number of older priests.”
Public Masses will be suspended from March 21 through April 5, Palm Sunday. The diocese will make a decision about public Masses for Good Friday and Easter Sunday services during Holy Week at a later date, according to the news release
“We want to reassure the Catholic faithful of our diocese that the lights are on for them should they choose to come to our churches for private prayer or confession,” said Peter Christensen, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, in the Tuesday news release. “Priests will continue to celebrate the Eucharist privately, to pray for the Church, the world, our people and for special intentions.”
The decision comes after Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland issued a similar order for all Catholic churches in the region, including Idaho. All Catholics are granted a special dispensation from the obligation to participate in Mass on Sundays, the bishop said, but churches will also be opened for private prayer, devotion and confession during certain hours.
A non-public Mass will also be livestreamed each Sunday from a location that will be announced later on catholicidaho.org. The diocese encouraged Idaho Catholics to follow the livestream or an Eternal World Television Network telecast each Sunday.
Caldwell School District offers free meals for students
The Caldwell School District will offer free breakfast and lunch for kids at several locations this week, starting Wednesday.
Children don’t need to be students in the Caldwell School District to qualify, but the child must be present to receive meals. Parents also can purchase sack lunches for $4.
Meals will be distributed from 10 to 11 a.m. from school buses manned by Caldwell School District teachers, staff and parent volunteers from the following locations:
- All elementary schools: Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Sacajawea, Washington, Wilson, and Van Buren
- Caldwell High School
- Farmway Village by the community center
- Hardy Estates - two locations: front office and at Maverik and Sage
- 5th & Galveston
- 14th and Elgin
- Avon Trailer Park at Summer Drive turnaround
- Manchester and Beech at the park
- Country Village at the playground
- Mountain View trailer park near the probation office at Georgia and Locust
- Indian Creek trailer park office
Idaho state parks will remain open with limited programs, facilities
State-operated parks and campgrounds will largely be open, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman Craig Quintana said in a news release.
Group campsites will be closed to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations against large gatherings. Anyone wishing to cancel an existing campsite reservation up to May 1 because of coronavirus concerns will receive a full refund.
Interpretive programs such as guided tours have been canceled, and hands-on exhibits are closed. Parks and Rec is also putting its equipment loan programs on hold. The agency loans backpacks, camping gear and fishing rods.
Premium cabins are also closed, but the agency’s popular Idaho City yurts will remain open. Quintana said guests will be advised that the yurts are cleaned on a 10- to 14-day rotation. Cleaning supplies are available in each yurt for guests to sanitize the yurt when they arrive and before leaving.
The Idaho Parks and Rec headquarters on Warm Springs Avenue is closed to the public. People looking to purchase recreational vehicle stickers or make reservations can do so online at parksandrecreation.idaho.gov or call 208-334-4419. Some visitor centers may also have reduced hours.
Parks and Rec will continue holding its boating and off-highway vehicle classes, though gatherings will be limited to 10 participants or fewer.
Idaho Power closes campgrounds
Idaho Power has closed its campgrounds and other facilities effectivite immediately. The utility company operates overnight camping at Scout Park at C.J. Strike Dam in Owyhee County and Hells Canyon Park near the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, among others.
Idaho Power spokesman Brad Bowlin said day-use parks and boat ramps will remain open, while restroom facilities will also close. Idaho Power is issuing refunds to campers with reservations up to April 16.
Idaho prisons create action plan for coronavirus
The Idaho Board of Correction on Wednesday was briefed on the state’s plans to keep the more than 9,000 men and women in their custody safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a conference call, Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt explained to the board that IDOC staff has been working since February to prepare an action plan.
As of Wednesday, 9,560 people were incarcerated under IDOC jurisdiction. Of those, 7,355 are in facilities operated by IDOC, 610 are being held in a private Texas prison, and the rest are in county jails.
All visitation to the prison has been stopped until April 1. In exchange, inmates receive two free 15-minute calls each week and starting Friday they’ll get two free emails or VideoGrams a week to communicate with people who can no longer visit.
Tewalt told the board that IDOC’s contracted health care provider, Corizon Health, has been a part of the conversations.
“We’ve suspended the co-pay requirement for the inmate population,” Tewalt told the board. “We want to be encouraging anyone experiencing symptoms to come forward.”
Tewalt explained that every new inmate must go through the diagnostic unit and will be isolated first before being moved into the general population.
IDOC reportedly spent the weekend developing protocols to begin training staff to do medical screenings. Tewalt did not expand on what the screenings would involve.
Staff is working to verify the prisons have an adequate inventory of sanitation and food supplies.
“We are somewhat unique in that the threat is largely external,” Tewalt told the board.
IDOC employees who are sick are not allowed to enter the facilities and they may take paid time off.
Tewalt said staff is trying to minimize face-to-face contact, probation and parole officers are finding alternative ways to communicate with offenders.
As of Wednesday, there had been no reported cases of coronavirus in the prisons.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
