Three more deaths attributed to COVID-19

Mask mandate sparks confrontation

Three more people died of the coronavirus since Friday, according to the Panhandle Health District. Two were residents of Kootenai County and one was a resident of Shoshone County. That brings the total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 to 14.

PHD reported Monday that the total of cases stands at 1,928, with 93 new cases since Friday. Twenty-five are hospitalized at Kootenai Health, with six in critical condition.

The mask mandate for Kootenai County recently passed by the PHD board to try and prevent the spread of the virus sparked a weekend confrontation in Post Falls.

A group of teenagers was allegedly attacked Saturday night by a middle-aged couple at Walmart for not wearing masks. Video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube by the mother of one of the boys.

“You are abusing your freedoms!” the unidentified woman yells into the camera before hitting one of the boys in the arm.

“Get a damn mask and put it on your face!” a man screams in the video.

The couple is then seen yelling incoherently in the store.

The video had over 70,000 views as of Monday afternoon.

In an online interview, the boy who is struck in the video and his mother expressed their desire to press charges.

Post Falls police could not be reached for comment.

Kootenai County now has 1,603 coronavirus cases, up 72 since Monday. Bonner County has 154 cases, Shoshone has 72, Benewah has 47 and Boundary has 35 cases.

Nearly half of the total PHD cases, 847, are people in the 18 to 39 age range.

Health officials urge residents to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing.