Big decision for Little

Governor announces shutdown plan today

Gov. Brad Little told an Idaho audience Tuesday that he’s leaning toward extending the stay-home order he imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Little signed the three-week stay-home order on March 25, requiring all non-essential Idahoans to remain home and limit travel. These measures are on top of the social distancing and hygiene recommendations already in place.

The March 25 order, similar to governor-mandated shutdowns throughout the country, put the hammer down on an economy already backsliding after the pandemic first reached American shores in January. Worldwide, the virus has infected nearly 2 million people, killing over 125,000, while closing or curtailing most businesses and putting about 17 million Americans out of work in the last three weeks.

Little made the comment during a weekly AARP conference call, where he fielded questions from concerned Idahoans. One caller asked if he would extend the stay-home order, which expires tomorrow.

“We’re assessing this now,” Little answered, “and there is just this barrage of research, of evidence, of best practices in other countries and other states and other communities. We’re trying to take all that data and look at what we’re going to do going forward. I will predict with pretty good confidence that something’s going to continue on.”

He then referenced a conversation he’d had with a friend of his who cited the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as an analogy for what Idahoans can expect.

“After 9/11 they shut down all air traffic,” Little paraphrased. “They shut down all travel. Today, when you go into an airport, if there’s one open, there are still things you do as a result of 9/11. Until we get a good vaccine, until we have a good therapeutic [treatment], until we have herd immunity, some things are going to have to take place … But we will not return to normal on April 16.”

Little will address the media at 10 a.m. today.