Idaho moves up to Stage 3 in governor’s COVID-19 plan, increasing gathering sizes
Idaho will relax some of its statewide COVID-19 restrictions after reported positive cases decreased in recent weeks.
Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday announced he would return Idaho to Stage 3 of his reopening plan — which lifts restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people. Bars, restaurants and nightclubs were already able to operate with seating only.
The new stage will allow indoor gatherings of 50 people or fewer and outdoor gatherings at 25% capacity. Large venues with crowds of more than 50 will need approval for events from local public health districts. The restrictions don’t apply to political events, religious gatherings, educational activities or youth sports events.
Health care events, such as COVID-19 testing or vaccine allocations, are also exempt.
“Collectively, once again, we came together to do the right thing,” Little said at a video announcement Tuesday.
Little did not take questions.
Idaho hasn’t met the series of criteria he outlined to move back to Stage 3. One part of the criteria required Idaho to average fewer than 25 confirmed COVID-19 patients in ICU care over the prior 14-day period. The state’s most recent average is 62.4.
However, that metric has been removed from the state’s Idaho Rebounds website. It was included in a gating criteria document dated Jan. 28 but is no longer listed. The governor’s office did not immediately provide an explanation for the change.
The governor’s criteria also required Idaho’s hospital admissions of confirmed COVID-19 patients to drop below a certain threshold (it’s listed as eight per day or four per day in different places). The average was more than 30 as of Jan. 25. The gating criteria document posted by Health and Welfare for the Jan. 12-25 period concludes that Idaho had “not met” the criteria.
The Idaho Rebounds website states that all criteria “must be met before Idaho advances to the next stage of reopening.”
When asked about the criteria by the Statesman, Little in a phone call with AARP on Tuesday said Idaho has expanded health care capacity and is looking at the criteria holistically. He said some of those metrics may never meet goal until more of the public can get vaccinated.
Little’s spokesperson, Marissa Morrison, said in an email to the Statesman on Tuesday that the governor “considers public health, economic and education impacts in his decision-making related to the pandemic.” While Idaho hasn’t met some of the criteria, Morrison said allowing large gathering sizes at this point is appropriate so long as the public continues to practice the other public health measures in place.
Dr. Christine Hahn, Idaho’s state epidemiologist, said Tuesday that cases have been dramatically dropping, and she believes people are taking proper precautions.
Idaho’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases was at 445 through Monday. It peaked at 1,650 on Dec. 10.
“I think people are really trying, and I think it’s paying off,” Hahn said. But she cautioned the public to continue to take the virus seriously. “This is not the time to throw the masks away and go back to normal. We’re not there yet,” she said.
The announcement comes as legislators consider stripping the governor of some of his emergency powers and try to lift statewide public health orders. The House bill that would limit the executive’s powers has been delayed until Thursday.
Senate Republican leaders were trying to lift the governor’s public health restrictions through a resolution. It’s unclear whether they would continue to propose a resolution for the remaining orders — but the resolutions hold little weight, according to several attorneys. Former attorneys general and constitutional lawyers have told the Statesman that the resolution could not pass laws and therefore could not lift public health restrictions.
Senate President Pro-Tem Chuck Winder told the Statesman the governor’s announcement Tuesday was “a step in the right direction.”
He also pointed out that there’s no enforcement related to those who don’t follow gathering limitations. Winder said he believes the restrictions should be focused on protecting those in nursing homes and leaving the rest of the public to make their own choices.
“I think there just needs to be more focus on who the real vulnerable people are, protecting them and providing resources for them,” Winder said.
Little last week issued an executive order that requires the state’s public health districts to regularly report the number of coronavirus doses they receive and administer.
Little rolled back the state to Stage 2 in November, when cases spiked. Little’s disaster declaration was implemented March 13.
As of Monday night, Idaho reported 1,737 total deaths from the coronavirus and more than 132,000 confirmed infections. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare estimates more than 30,000 probable cases and nearly 83,000 recoveries from the virus.
Data released to the Idaho Statesman showed that COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death among Idaho residents in 2020. It was the first-leading cause of death among Hispanics in Idaho.
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 10:15 AM.
