Latest closures, cancellations, reduced hours in Boise-area businesses, services, more

Here are the latest closures, cancellations, altered hours and other changes in the Treasure Valley prompted by concerns over the spreading coronavirus pandemic.

We are updating this list several times each day, so check back for the latest information. We’re putting the latest items at or near the top of each section to make it easy to scan for what’s new.

The sections listed below cover government, entertainment, events, sports, business, religion, recreation and fitness, and social and other services. Schools and restaurants are in separate stories. For schools, including postsecondary institutions, click here. For restaurants and bars, click here.

If you have information to share, including new circumstances, deletions or corrections, please email newsroom@idahostatesman.com.

Business

Closings

• Boise Mayor Lauren McLean ordered an end to indoor dining and drinking at restaurants and bars for 30 days effective Friday, March 20. Businesses that allow orders to be picked up in person or in a drive thru, or that deliver, may continue those.

• Nampa Bicycle Project shop closed at 7 p.m. March 19 and not re-open until further notice.

• Perpetuity Skin + Spa is closed for the rest of the month. Operating hours will be revisited in April.

• Ascena Retail Group Inc, which owns brands such as Justice, Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor and Loft, closed its stores from March 18 to March 28. Employees will still be paid for their scheduled shifts.
• Ulta Beauty closed its stores at 6 p.m. March 19.
• All Sephora stores will be closed through April 3.
• Nike has closed its stores through March 27.
  
  

• Foot Locker closed its North American stores from March 17 to March 31.

• Claire’s closed its North American stores at least through March 27.
  
  

• Apple closed all retail stores until March 27.

• Macy’s closed all of its stores, including the one in the Boise Towne Square mall, through Tuesday, March 31.

  

• The Idaho Humane Society closed its adoption center. Adoptable animals can be viewed online at idahohumanesociety.org, where interested adopters can complete an application and schedule a time to meet the animal.

• The Boise Centre is closed to the public through March 30. The Visitor Information Center located adjacent to The Grove Plaza is also closed. Events booked at Boise Centre with greater than 50 people in through May 10, 2020 have been rescheduled until later in the year.

• Starting Tuesday, March 17, the H&M Group closed all stores its stores in the United States for the next two weeks.
• JUMP will be closed until further notice.
  
  
• UpCycle closed all classes. There is not definite re-opening date as of now. “We are hoping April or May,” said studio manager Madeleine Pier.
• The Boise Towne Square is closed, except for Dillard’s.

Reduced Hours

• Walmart’s U.S. stores will limit hours to 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Associates will continue to keep their regular scheduled shifts and full hours. The store introduced a special shopping hour on Tuesdays for customers 60 and older from March 24 to April 28.
  
  
• Home Depot began closing at 6 p.m. daily. Opening hours will not change.
• JCPenney reduced hours. It is now open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
  
  
• Beginning March 18, Target is closing by 9 p.m. daily. The chain is also reserving the first hour of shopping each Wednesday for “vulnerable guests,” including elderly people and those with underlying health concerns.
• WinCo Foods stores close between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. to allow employees to clean and restock.

Significant changes

• The Record Exchange has closed its storefront but is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for customers to call in with orders. It also has a website with shipping worldwide.

• Meridian Mayor Robert Simison ordered all restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues to ensure a minimum distance of 6 feet between groups of customers from Saturday, March 21, through Saturday, April 4.

• Rediscovered Books is closing its shops to customers but is offering curbside pickup and delivery for customers.

• A Succulent Day in Boise is closing its storefront but will be available for online and call-in orders.

• Albertsons is limiting customers to buy only two items total when buying toilet paper, sanitizer or cleaning products.

• Record Store Day was postponed from April 18 until June 20. Boise’s The Record Exchange will hold a party on the new weekend.
• Albertsons, Fred Meyer, Costco and Trader Joe’s have done away with free samples for the time being.
• Starbucks temporarily stopped filling reusable cups. Boise chain Moxie Java followed suit.
• Micron, Idaho’s biggest for-profit employer, is testing the temperature of every employee and visitor to its buildings.

  

Government

• Garden City’s library and its city hall are closed to the public, but all city functions remain operational. Services traditionally offered through in-person interactions will be offered online when possible, or over the phone, through the mail or by appointment. The exception to the closure is for public meetings, including City Council and planning and zoning. Seating will be six feet apart, but people are encouraged to attend virtually. Access codes for the online meetings will be posted with the notices.

• Garden City is encouraging people to postpone events for 50 or more people.

• The Canyon County Recorder’s Office stopped accepting passport applications Thursday, March 19, until further notice, although exceptions may be made in emergencies. The office has also stopped issuing marriage licenses to couples who don’t reside in Canyon County.

• Eagle City Hall is closed to walk-in customers. People who need to conduct business there will need to make an appointment with the appropriate department. Visitors will be asked to wash their hands before meetings.

• Ada County will issue marriage licenses at the Elections Office, 400 N. Benjamin Lane, Boise, because of restrictions at the county courthouse (see earlier item below), from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays.

• The Idaho Transportation Department has started issuing automatic extensions for expiring driver’s licenses and noncommercial registrations. The 90-day extension only applies to driver’s licenses and noncommercial registration.

• All Ada County DMV offices were closed starting Tuesday, March 17. Canyon County’s DMV offices remain open.

• The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has closed state fish hatcheries to the public. The Morrison Knudsen Nature Center in Boise is closed to educational tours. Any meetings at Fish and Game headquarters that include the public are canceled, as are in-person hunters education courses. Hunters ed is still available online.

• Nampa City Hall is closed to the public effective Tuesday, March 17. Staff will be on-site to respond to emails and phone calls.

• There is no public access to Boise city buildings, including libraries, Zoo Boise and City Hall, starting Tuesday, March 17. The Boise Airport will remain open. So will city parks.

• Starting Monday, March 16, the Boise Public Library and the Friends of the Boise Public Library suspended homebound services, The Boise Public Library volunteer program, book donations and Tree City Book sales at the Main Library store until further notice. Online sales will continue.

• Canyon County officials on Monday, March 16, asked the public to postpone all nonessential visits to the courthouse, administration building and DMV.

• The Eagle Public Library, the Eagle Landing Community Center and the Eagle Museum of History and Preservation closed on March 13 and will be closed for the foreseeable future. The library and Eagle’s Parks and Recreation Department has canceled all classes, programs and events.

• The Idaho Supreme Court has moved to limit interactions in the state’s courts. A court order includes the suspension of in-court appearances with the exception of emergency matters; postponements and/or rescheduling of civil trials, hearings and motions; reasonable efforts to reschedule criminal trials subject to a defendant’s right to a speedy trial; and limitations to the number of people attending courtroom proceedings for safety purposes.

• At the Ada County Courthouse, attorneys, jurors, parties, witnesses, victim support persons, county personnel, and judges are permitted to enter. All other members of the public will not be allowed to enter until further notice.

• All Meridian Library District locations are closed to the public through Tuesday, March 31. Digital resources are available online.
  
  
• The Nampa Public Library and Nampa Senior Center are closed from Monday, March 16, through Tuesday, March 31. The meals-to-go program is available through curbside pickup starting Monday, March 16, between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (208) 467-7266 between 7 and 9:30 a.m. to order. Classes at the Nampa Rec Center are canceled through Tuesday, March 31.
  
  
• The city of Caldwell has canceled several events “until further notice.” That includes Mayor Garret Nancolas’s state of the city address, all city recreation events including youth basketball and volleyball, and the Caldwell Recreation Annual Easter Egg Scramble. The city has also canceled in-state and out-of-state travel for all city employees and elected officials for 90 days. Furthermore, it will not be issuing event permits for gatherings of 250 people or more on city property.
  
  
• Gov. Brad Little on Friday, March 13, declared a state of emergency in Idaho.
• The Nampa City Council passed an emergency resolution to prohibit events larger than 250 people at the Ford Idaho Center and Nampa Civic Center.
• Boise Mayor Lauren McLean asked groups to postpone meetings larger than 250 people.

Entertainment

• Meridian Lanes closed Thursday, March 19, its first closure since opening 1959. Most fall and winter bowling leagues have been suspended or canceled. Food is available for pickup or delivery by calling 208-888-2048.

• State Historical Society sites, including the Old Idaho Penitentiary, Franklin and Stricker Ranch Historic Sites, the Idaho State Museum and the Research Center at the Idaho State Archives, are closed to the public from March 20 until April 6. All programming and events are canceled or postponed until further notice.

• Art-house theater The Flicks in Boise suspended operations at 9:40 p.m. Thursday, March 19.

• The Village Cinema in Meridian has scaled back hours to noon to 8 p.m. daily and reduced the number of theaters showing movies.

• Edwards Cinemas movie theaters closed Tuesday, March 17, until further notice. The theaters include the Edwards 21 Cinemas & Imax at the Boise Spectrum, Edwards 9 in downtown Boise, and Edwards Nampa Gateway and Edwards Nampa Spectrum in Nampa.

• The World Center for Birds of Prey closed all visitation for the next 30 days starting Saturday, March 14.

  

• Alley Repertory Theater held its last performance of “A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City” on Saturday, March 14. Ticket holders for performances March 19-22 can receive a refund or make their tickets tax-deductible donations.
• Ice Dance International canceled its Boise appearance Saturday, March 28. Ticketholders will be refunded through CenturyLink Arena.
• The Morrison Center is postponing shows by Ronnie Milsap and Jason Bishop, who were scheduled to perform Wednesday and Thursday, March 18 and 19, respectively. No date has been set for new shows.
  
  
• Dancing with the Stars Live! canceled its Friday, March 20, show.
• Ballet Idaho shows were canceled for Friday and Saturday, March 13 and 14.
• The Tool concert, set to be held in Nampa on Saturday, March 14, was postponed after the Nampa City Council approved an emergency resolution to prohibit events larger than 250 people at the Ford Idaho Center and Nampa Civic Center.
  
  
• Jojo Siwa’s D.R.E.A.M. Tour was postponed until June 17. Tickets will be honored at the new date.
• Comedian Iliza Shlesinger’s shows at the Morrison Center were postponed. Tickets will be honored once a new date is set.
• The Sun Valley Film Festival is canceled but will return in 2021, organizers say.
• The Roadshow Tour 2020, a Christian music concert, was canceled at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
  
  

• The 2020 Treefort Music Fest, which brings more than 400 artists and 20,000 people to downtown Boise, is postponed until September. Refunds are available by emailing refunds@treefortmusicfest.com.

Events

• The Idaho Department of Fish and Game canceled its Take Me Fishing events and fishing rod loan program.
• Boise Pride Festival, initially slated for June, was postponed to September 11 and 12. Organizers said they had “previously expressed optimism” that public health fears would be resolved by June but opted to postpone to ensure the situation would be contained.
  
  
• All events at the Canyon County Fair Building have been postponed until further notice.
• The Cabin postponed or canceled most upcoming events, starting Monday, March 16, through at least May 15. They include free Drop-In Writing Workshops and the CAMBIA Celebration of Youth Writing. A reading with author Madeline Miller has been postponed but no date has yet been set. People enrolled in adult writing workshops will be updated on the status of their workshops. Summer writing camps, which are scheduled to start in June, are planned to continue as normal.
• Nampa Parks and Recreation postponed the Food Truck Rally Goes to the Dogs event scheduled for Saturday, March 14, to an undetermined date.
• The Boise Farmers Market postponed the opening of the market. A new date has not been announced.

  

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• The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce postponed its CEO speaker series appearance by Charlene Maher. A new date has not been set.
• The Boise Flower & Garden Show, originally scheduled for March 27-29, is postponed until March 19-21, 2021.

• All events at Expo Idaho are canceled through April 30, including the 48th Annual Roadster Show scheduled for March 13-15. Ada County Commissioner Kendra Kenyon said deposits will be returned to vendors for the events.

• City Club of Boise canceled all events planned for the rest of March and the first part of April. That includes forums on March 17, April 1 and April 2. Organizers are working to issue refunds.

• All March events scheduled to be held at the Canyon County Fair Building have been postponed until further notice.

Sports

• Idaho high school sports are suspended through at least April 5.

• Boise State, College of Idaho and NNU have canceled their spring sports.

• The Big Sky Conference suspended all intercollegiate competition for its members until further notice. That includes teams at the University of Idaho and Idaho State University. The conference canceled the remaining games in its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments at Boise’s CenturyLink Arena.

• The U.S. Tennis Association canceled all programming until April 20. In the Treasure Valley, the association is postponing its spring singles league to the fall but is offering refunds for people who don’t want to play in the fall. USTA is suspending its Mixed 18 & Over league play through April 20 and moving the start date for its Adult 40 & Over league and Social Tennis league to that date.
• The NCAA canceled the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, ending March Madness. It also canceled all remaining winter and spring championships. That means the Boise State women’s basketball team, which won the Mountain West championship, will not be able to make its fourth straight trip to the tournament.
• The Buck’s Bag baseball invitational and Win the Pitch (WTP) softball tournament, both of which take place over spring break in the Treasure Valley, have been canceled. The statewide all-star basketball game at North Idaho College was also canceled.
• The ECHL has suspended its hockey season, affecting several Idaho Steelheads home games.
  
  
• The Cascade Conference (College of Idaho) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (Northwest Nazarene University) suspended athletic competitions Thursday. The Cascade suspension will last at least through Sunday, March 29.

Religion

• Bishop Peter Christensen, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, suspended all public Masses through April 5, which is Palm Sunday. The bishop extended a dispensation to all Catholics from the obligation to participate in Mass. He asked priests to open their churches during certain hours for private prayer and confession. A non-public Mass will be live-streamed each Sunday.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that “all public gatherings of church members are being temporarily suspended worldwide.” The announcement came the day after the church said it would not allow members to attend its April General Conference.

Recreation and fitness

• Idaho State Parks and Recreation Department closed all camper cabins and yurts beginning Monday, March 23. They will remain closed through at least April 30.

• The Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain and Tamarack ski areas said Tuesday, March 17, that they would cease operations at the end of the day, superseding partial cutbacks and reductions that they had announced previously. Sun Valley Resort shut down Monday, March 16.
• The visitor center at Celebration Park, on the Snake River in Canyon County, was closed Tuesday, March 17, until further notice. The park remains open.
• The Treasure Valley Family YMCA closed multiple locations from Monday, March 16 through Sunday, March 22, including the Caldwell YMCA, the Downtown Boise YMCA, the south Meridian YMCA, the west Boise YMCA and city of Boise Aquatic Center, the Healthy Living Center and the YMCA Camp at Horsethief Reservoir.

Social and other services

• The Kuna Senior Center closed Friday, March 20. Meals on Wheels are available for pick up from noon to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Deliveries are also available. Call 208-321-0031.

• Simply Cats closed to potential cat adopters, volunteers and new cats.

• The Boise Overland St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry switched to a parking lot pickup system on Tuesday, March 17, with hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

• The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide service that operates mostly out of libraries suspended its program until further notice.

• All programming at the city of Boise’s Dick Eardley Senior Center is postponed, and the center is closed to the public. This closure will be in place until further notice. The kitchen will remain in use by Metro Meals on Wheels to continue meal prep and lunch services.

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This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 4:00 AM.

Hayley Harding

Idaho Statesman

208-377-6481

Hayley covers local government for the Idaho Statesman with a primary focus on Boise and Ada County. Her political reporting won first place in the 2019 Idaho Press Club awards. Previously, she worked for the Salisbury Daily Times, the Hartford Courant, the Denver Post and McClatchy’s D.C. bureau. Hayley graduated from Ohio University with degrees in journalism and political science.If you like seeing stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a digital subscription to the Idaho Statesman.