Coronavirus: Another Treasure Valley summer festival won’t happen this summer
The Meridian Dairy Council has decided to cancel the majority of events for the annual Dairy Days celebration.
However, one event will remain.
The board announced it will offer a venue for a one-day dairy cattle and goat show for 4-H and FFA youth on June 27 at the Meridian Speedway infield, according to the Dairy Days website. The dairy council believes that the speedway infield will allow for the social distancing needed to abide by Stage 4 of Gov. Brad Little’s four-stage plan to reopen the state.
All other events included in the annual celebration — the parade, carnival, pancake feed and live entertainment — will not take place this summer. The dairy council is in the process of organizing a virtual Dairy Princess Pageant.
As of now, the next Dairy Days is planned for June 24-26, 2021.
Other large annual summer festivals have also been cancelled in other areas of the Treasure Valley due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Emmett Cherry Festival was canceled earlier this month due to concerns over coronavirus-related restrictions.
Nez Perce Tribe suspects community spread
The Nez Perce Tribe believes that community spread is taking place in its community.
Nimiipuu Health officials have found 17 positive cases of the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease, out of 137 people tested at the facility. The tribe has found multiple asymptomatic people who have tested positive for the virus, and those infected range in age from 1 to 80.
All positive cases were reported at the Lapwai clinic, located in Nez Perce County.
Elsewhere in the state, just over a dozen new cases of the coronavirus were reported Saturday, according to state health officials.
In total, 14 new cases were reported over the weekend, as the state no longer reports cases on Sundays. New cases were found in Twin Falls, Jerome, Washington, Kootenai and Gooding counties.
After adding four new cases Saturday, Twin Falls County now has the third-most cases of the coronavirus in Idaho, surpassing Canyon County.
Idaho now has 2,204 confirmed coronavirus cases. As of Monday morning, there are 73 reported deaths.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in 33 of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 722, Adams 3, Bannock 10, Bingham 6, Blaine 497, Bonner 4, Bonneville 18, Camas 1, Canyon 257, Caribou 1, Cassia 17, Custer 2, Elmore 30, Fremont 2, Gem 12, Gooding 20, Idaho 3, Jefferson 5, Jerome 80, Kootenai 65, Latah 5, Lemhi 1, Lincoln 27, Madison 12, Minidoka 12, Nez Perce 70, Owyhee 8, Payette 17, Power 3, Teton 10, Twin Falls 260, Valley 2 and Washington 22.
Community spread has been detected in 18 Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Lemhi, Owyhee, Madison, Minidoka, Payette, Teton and Twin Falls.
