As pandemic worsens, Idaho Gov. Little announces he’s not asking schools, businesses to close
Idaho Gov. Brad Little said Wednesday that he is not mandating the closures of any schools or businesses.
The state reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus on Friday. Since then, at least eight more patients with COVID-19 have been identified through more than 465 tests.
The governor said he would “encourage” Idahoans to stop visiting loved ones in person in nursing homes, retirement homes and long-term care facilities.
He said Idahoans should avoid discretionary travel, avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people, practice good hygiene and work from home if they can. He also urged people to use drive-through or takeout dining options instead of going to restaurants.
People who are elderly or have health issues should stay home and away from other people “for the next few weeks,” he said.
Little said he is not mandating school closures “at this time” and is instead leaving it up to schools.
“Right now, our state public health experts and the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) tell us schools should be closed in areas with community spread or immediately surrounding areas of community spread or if the coronavirus has been identified” in their population, he said.
State and local public health officials are not saying whether Idaho has any community spread — when a virus begins circulating unchecked within a community.
They have said they are investigating the origins of at least two infections — reported over the weekend — that couldn’t immediately be traced back to a known coronavirus case or travel to an outbreak hot-spot like China.
When questioned about his decision not to take more drastic action this week, as other governments have, Little said he doesn’t think it is necessary or helpful at this point.
“We’re following CDC guidelines about what the best practices are,” he said. “I’m concerned … about some of these, I could say, arbitrary decisions in some other areas where they closed everything down. And now the issue about what do you do about child care?”
He said a state “where everybody goes to work on mass transit is different from Idaho, where everybody goes to work” alone in their cars, he said.
He also said he believes Idahoans will take care of their neighbors.
“History will remember how we dealt with coronavirus,” Little said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 10:41 AM.
