Update: Boise mayor clarifies social distancing order, adds list of exempted businesses
This story has been updated with information from the city’s new public health order.
Mayor Lauren McLean on Monday ordered Boise residents to take part in social distancing, effective at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, for 30 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Groups of 10 or more people will no longer be allowed at businesses or events, and people must be at least 6 feet away from each other unless they are members of an “immediate household.” An updated order, issued Tuesday, clarified that “all indoor recreation and fitness facilities” would be closed.
Commercial and public transportation will be required to follow heightened cleanliness practices, and stores will be required to disinfect “all frequently touched surfaces after human contact.”
“These actions are painful but necessary,” McLean said in a news release. “I understand this further disrupts our lives and makes our daily schedules difficult. I’m asking the community to come together and make these needed changes in response to this crisis we face.”
In a Facebook Live address, McLean said the order would also apply to parks. She said the city will send its traffic enforcement team on bikes “to make sure that the public understands how important it is” and to enforce the 6-foot rule. Trails will stay open, she added.
Grocery stores, day-care operations, medical facilities and governmental agencies are exempt from the order. Carry-out, drive-thru and delivery food service can continue, although employees are encouraged to be at least 6 feet from customers. Tuesday’s update specifically listed other businesses considered essential and therefore exempt, including:
- Stores that “sell products necessary to maintain safety, sanitation and essential operations”
- Stores that sell supplies for working or learning from home
- Good and services for essential businesses
- Social services
- Health care goods and services
- News and media services
- Gas stations
- Airports
- Hardware stores
- Household services such as plumbers and electricians
- Veterinary services
- Laundry services
- Professional services including legal and accounting services
- Banks and other financial institutions
- Insurance services
- Mail services
- Essential infrastructure including public works and construction
- Taxis and other public transit
- Emergency child care for exempt workers
“Social distancing is imperative if we’re to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or realistically slow it down so that our first responders and our hospitals are able to respond as needed as the virus moves through our community,” McLean said during her live stream.
If a store cannot follow the new restrictions, it should close, the order says. Violations are considered misdemeanors and will be enforced by the police department, though the city plans first to focus on educating affected people and businesses about the order. The order will remain in effect for 30 days unless modified or terminated.
Monday’s order follows one over the weekend that closed city playgrounds, and one last week in which McLean ordered the closure of restaurants and bars. She also closed city buildings last week after declaring a public emergency. Libraries, Zoo Boise and City Hall are all closed.
This story was originally published March 23, 2020 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Update: Boise mayor clarifies social distancing order, adds list of exempted businesses."
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