Idaho’s plan to reopen without the right ingredients could be a recipe for disaster

We wholeheartedly agree that we have to reopen the state for business, and waiting for a coronavirus vaccine is untenable.

So we support Idaho devising a plan that will get people out of their houses, back to work and back to commerce.

But Gov. Brad Little’s four-stage plan to reopen Idaho for business has disaster written all over it. Without certain conditions in place, we’ll be right back where we started and risk another — larger — outbreak that will overwhelm the health care system.

That’s not what our neighbors, such as Washington, are doing.

“The fundamental principle we’re following is: Let’s just do this once and get it over with,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday in announcing an extension of his state’s stay-at-home order beyond May 4. “I think it is much better to be disciplined now with this approach rather than have erratic steps at a later date.”

Here are our biggest concerns with the conditions that need to exist in order to reopen safely:

• Abiding by the state’s protocols and restrictions
• Practicing social distancing and wearing masks
• Testing, getting results back quickly and contact tracing

We recognize that Little has a tightrope to walk here, balancing economic considerations and public health.

He faces political pressure from those in his own party, and he has to contend with far-right voices, such as state Rep. Heather Scott, who’s calling the stay-home order tyrannical behavior, and so-called freedom lovers who are criticizing stores like Costco for requiring customers to wear masks. We still have people in this state thinking that coronavirus is a hoax or not much worse than the seasonal flu.

Little’s plan to reopen the state, named Idaho Rebounds, is good in theory, but we’re deeply concerned that the conditions needed to make it work are nowhere near to being in place.

Further, it relies too heavily on the good graces of the free market and the good behavior of the people of Idaho, both of which have already shown to be unreliable.

“The best tool we have in our toolbox is the people of Idaho,” Idaho director of Health and Welfare Dave Jeppesen said during Little’s press conference Thursday. “It’s a very contagious disease. You can get it and not show symptoms for several days, two to five days. And the very best thing that can happen is the people of Idaho to continue to practice physical distance and good hand hygiene, those sorts of things. That is by far and away the best tool we have to make sure that the governor’s plan can continue to open.”

Too many Idahoans are ignoring that now, even under the governor’s stay-home order. Once others hear Idaho is beginning to reopen, it likely will get even worse.

Abiding by state protocols and restrictions

Many businesses are going to feel tremendous pressure to reopen even if they’re not supposed to because other businesses are ignoring the closure order.

A gym in Middleton already went ahead and reopened, as did a bar in Nampa, before their appropriate phase in the plan.

Now that Idaho has officially begun the process of reopening, we expect to see other businesses follow suit because there is no enforcement by the state, counties or cities.

Without punishment, why would a small-business owner agree to stay closed while competitors are back in business?

We’re encouraged by Little’s announcement Thursday to provide $300 million in small-business grants starting May 11, with up to $10,000 per business. So here’s our message to business owners like the Middleton gym owner and the Nampa bar owner: Keep your doors closed and go get your relief grant.

Social distancing, wearing masks

Too many people are still not practicing social distancing or wearing masks. We see it everywhere, at the stores, at the parks, at public protests. Going back to normal without practicing social distancing and wearing masks will spread the disease.

Without these social distancing protocols, another outbreak is inevitable. Which leads us to our next concern.

Testing, getting results quickly and tracing

The next line of defense is going to be testing and contact tracing. When someone gets sick, they can get tested right away, not turned away or denied because they don’t meet certain criteria. Then, we need to get those test results back right away, within hours, not weeks.

Next, if that person tests positive for COVID-19, we have to quarantine that person and trace that person’s contacts to determine whether he or she spread it to others. Then, those people need to get tested and isolated.

Are we really in a better position today to do massive testing and contact tracing to catch the disease before widespread contagion?

“We’re focusing on expanding and targeting access to testing,” Little said. “We are improving contact tracing for all COVID-19 positive cases. We are working to ensure we have health care system capacity.”

If we’re still working on it, then we’re not there yet.

Our biggest fear is that many people will think the governor’s announcement means the state is open for business and back to normal. With signs of too many people already returning to normal, we fear another outbreak is inevitable.

Now comes the hardest part. We cannot afford to lose the gains that have been made, exposing the people and the economy of the state of Idaho to the possibility of a second and possibly even more devastating economic and medical disaster if the measures needed to make this “soft landing” are not enforced.

The dissenters are a small but vocal minority and appear to have no problem promoting the violation of rules to gain their own political ends without regard to the danger they are exposing vulnerable populations to, especially the elderly and those with preexisting medical conditions.

The governor needs to be prepared to enforce his orders against those who violate them. This is not a game. More than 62,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. We don’t have to add one more unnecessary death from Idaho to that total — or from any other state, for that matter.

So far, our governor has stayed the course, supported by the vast majority of Idahoans. He must stand firm. Lives depend on it.