Coronavirus: Outbreaks in Magic Valley processing plants, 4th inmate tests positive
South Central Public Health District, based in Twin Falls, reported two more coronavirus outbreaks among workers in the Magic Valley’s agricultural sector.
At least 17 employees of Magic Valley Growers in Gooding County and 12 employees of McCain Foods in Cassia County had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Friday, according to an email from the health district. Only one person at Magic Valley Growers and seven people connected to the McCain Foods outbreak are still being monitored, health district spokeswoman Brianna Bodily said. Both plants process and manufacture potato products, and together employ hundreds of workers.
Case numbers at McCain foods are likely to increase, Bodily said, as the company will be testing more employees.
The outbreaks are the latest in a long line of coronavirus clusters among food processing and meatpacking employees in Idaho, particularly in the Magic Valley. Outbreaks in the region’s agricultural sector are one of the reasons the coronavirus continues to disproportionately affect Idaho Latinos. In May, Latinos were the vast majority of confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in five of the eight counties in the South Central Public Health District, despite comparatively low cases counts in some rural counties.
Previous outbreaks at plants like IdaBeef in Burley and Rite Stuff Foods in Jerome eventually totaled 56 and 70 cases, respectively — although those patients are no longer in isolation or being monitored by the health district.
Fourth inmate, more IDOC staffers test positive for COVID-19
In an update posted online Monday, Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt wrote that a fourth state prison inmate had tested positive for the coronavirus, and eight more staffers have the virus as well.
Tewalt wrote that the new inmate case involves a person in the C Block of the Idaho State Correctional Center — a facility that holds over 2,100 men in Kuna. The prior three cases were found in E Block. Both blocks of the prison are under medical quarantine, meaning staff will conduct medical screenings twice a day, according to Tewalt’s letter.
On Monday, ISCC conducted a mass testing in E Block, as staff obtained samples from the 258 people in the unit. Tewalt wrote that he hopes to have the results back by Wednesday.
“If we’ve learned anything from other states conducting mass testing, we anticipate a number of asymptomatic positives to be discovered,” Tewalt wrote.
He went on to say that eight more IDOC staff members tested positive for the virus over the weekend, bringing the department’s positive cases among employees to 22. Of the eight new cases, six work at ISCC and two others work at the Idaho State Correctional Institution, a separate Kuna facility that holds 1,446 men.
Tewalt wrote that all but three of the new cases were in direct contact with someone who later tested positive. Anyone who has been in close contact with those who have tested positive have been directed to quarantine and take precautions.
Nampa arts festival canceled
The Nampa Parks and Recreation Department announced Tuesday that the 2020 Nampa Festival of the Arts has been canceled.
The event, which has been held annually for 33 years, was slated to take place Aug. 8-9 at Lakeview Park.
“Our hope was to implement necessary guidelines to protect the safety of everyone attending, but we ultimately realized the risk is too great with COVID-19 cases rising in the Treasure Valley,” said Darrin Johnson, Nampa’s parks and recreation director, in a news release.
The next festival is scheduled for Aug. 14-15, 2021.
Idaho passes 5,000 coronavirus cases with major spike
Yet again, Idaho set a single-day record for new coronavirus cases. Health officials around the state reported 472 new cases Monday — crushing the previous record of 277 new cases, which was set Friday.
Idaho now has well over 5,000 cases; as of Monday evening, the state had 5,270 confirmed positive cases.
Cases in Ada County have continued to rise, with 217 reported Monday by local health officials. Last Friday, Ada reported 186 new cases — at that point the single-day record. The county is on pace to break 2,000 cases; as of Monday it had 1,940.
Canyon County added 67 new cases Monday, a high for the county. Elsewhere in Idaho, Kootenai County recorded 43 new cases, a steep jump from its previous single-day record of 19.
New cases were reported Monday in Bannock, Bonner, Gem, Latah, Minidoka, Owyhee, Payette and Twin Falls counties, among others.
Two counties reported COVID-19 cases for the first time Monday — Bear Lake and Oneida. Of the two, community spread was reported in Oneida County.
No new deaths were reported Monday, leaving the state’s death total at 92.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported that 4,073 cases are “presumed recovered.” State health officials also reported 11 new “probable cases,” bringing the state total to 540.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in the bulk of Idaho’s 44 counties: Ada 1,940, Adams 9, Bannock 89, Bear Lake 1, Benewah 13, Bingham 41, Blaine 521, Boise 4, Bonner 29, Bonneville 77, Boundary 1, Camas 1, Canyon 684, Caribou 14, Cassia 208, Clearwater 1, Custer 5, Elmore 55, Franklin 24, Fremont 5, Gem 19, Gooding 55, Idaho 4, Jefferson 12, Jerome 203, Kootenai 229, Latah 14, Lemhi 2, Lincoln 32, Madison 24, Minidoka 151, Nez Perce 82, Oneida 2, Owyhee 27, Payette 68, Power 16, Teton 14, Twin Falls 491, Valley 13 and Washington 90.
Community spread has been detected in 29 Idaho counties: Ada, Bannock, Benewah, Bingham, Blaine, Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Custer, Elmore, Gem, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Lemhi, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Owyhee, Oneida, Payette, Power, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley and Washington.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 10:09 AM.
