Coronavirus: Caldwell to close city buildings soon, with a few exceptions
The city of Caldwell will close city buildings to the public through the rest of the year because of the recent rise in coronavirus cases and Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s recent order putting the state back in Stage 3 of the reopening plan, according to a news release from the city.
Closure of city buildings will start Monday, Nov. 2, and will run through at least Jan. 4, 2021. The closure will be re-evaluated in early January, the city said.
City services will remain staffed and fully operational during the closures, and city officials in the departments closed to the public will be available by appointment, phone and email.
The city’s leadership said the responsible thing to do amid the recent rise in coronavirus cases was to take these steps to protect employees and the public.
“We have always known that the urgency of the situation locally will fluctuate. We are entering a time, particularly with upcoming holidays and increased family gathering events, where we need to re-evaluate and do our part at the city level to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas in the news release.
Buildings closed include city hall, the Caldwell Airport, the fire department, parks and recreation, planning and zoning, engineering, water, the wastewater treatment plant, cemetery and street department offices. The closure also includes the city’s event center offices, with the exception of elections.
Caldwell’s library will maintain some services, such as curbside pickup during certain times and computers available by appointment. Browsing the library will not be allowed. Golf courses, parks and playgrounds will continue to be open.
The city’s Veterans Day celebration will still be held on Nov. 11 at the Caldwell Veterans Memorial Hall, but capacity will be limited in accordance with the current restrictions in place. The event will also be streamed online for those who cannot attend.
For a full listing on library drop-off times, visit www.caldwellpubliclibrary.org/covid-19. For other information on the city’s closures or to find contact information for departments, visit www.cityofcaldwell.org.
Idaho hits new high for single-day coronavirus deaths
Idaho broke another grim mark Thursday as the state reported a record-high 18 new coronavirus-related deaths. The previous single-day high was 16 deaths, reported on Sept. 9.
Idaho has now seen 618 residents die from the coronavirus, with 149 of those deaths occurring in October.
Of those deaths, eight were reported in Ada County, which now has been the site of 175 coronavirus deaths. Pairs of deaths were reported in Bonneville and Twin Falls counties. As of Thursday, 39 of Idaho’s 44 counties have lost at least one resident to the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
The deaths in Bonneville County were that of two men in their 70s, and a Madison County death was a woman in her 80s, according to Eastern Idaho Public Health. A Lemhi County death — its first reported coronavirus fatality — was that of a man in his 60s. The Bingham County death was a man in his 60s, according to Southeastern Idaho Public Health.
Demographic data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare show the remaining deaths include one person in their 40s, another in their 60s, two people in their 70s, and the remaining deaths were of people age 80 or older.
Idaho also reported 1,049 new coronavirus cases Thursday — 864 confirmed and 185 probable. The total is the second-most since the pandemic began, as the most was 1,111, reported Oct. 23. The state’s seven-day moving average for confirmed and probable cases is now 890.6.
Ada County reported 193 new cases Thursday, bringing its total to 14,980. Canyon and Kootenai counties both reported triple-digit case counts, with 122 and 107, respectively.
Numerous counties reported double-digit case counts Thursday, including Twin Falls, which added 86.
As of Thursday, there have been 55,230 confirmed coronavirus cases in Idaho, as well as 7,777 probable cases. Of those with the virus, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare estimates that 29,195 people are presumed to have recovered.
Health and Welfare also reports that 381,008 people have been tested for the coronavirus in Idaho, with about 14.5% of tests returning positive. That positivity rate grew for the sixth straight week, as 14% of the 29,542 tests taken during the week of Oct. 18-24 were positive.
All Idaho counties except Adams have reports of community spread.
All of Idaho’s 44 counties have confirmed cases of the coronavirus: Ada 14,980, Adams 56, Bannock 1,812, Bear Lake 69, Benewah 176, Bingham 1,273, Blaine 856, Boise 66, Bonner 453, Bonneville 3,638, Boundary 80, Butte 88, Camas 35, Canyon 9,439, Caribou 221, Cassia 1,304, Clark 33, Clearwater 127, Custer 86, Elmore 398, Franklin 314, Fremont 454, Gem 376, Gooding 479, Idaho 358, Jefferson 818, Jerome 992, Kootenai 4,001, Latah 932, Lemhi 231, Lewis 80, Lincoln 183, Madison 2,335, Minidoka 1,125, Nez Perce 836, Oneida 54, Owyhee 366, Payette 1,001, Power 312, Shoshone 276, Teton 268, Twin Falls 3,712, Valley 111, Washington 426.
