Little issues isolation order for Blaine County

Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued an isolation order for Blaine County residents as the number of COVID-19 cases there soared to 17 on Thursday and the Department of Health and Welfare confirmed community spread.

There has yet to be a confirmed case of the illness in the five counties of north central Idaho or in Asotin, Garfield and Whitman counties in southeastern Washington. Health officials in the eight-county, two-state region continue to await test results from an unknown number of suspected cases.

A Pullman firefighter-medic was put in quarantine after he transported a patient suspected of having the highly contagious illness. But the firefighter was later released after the patient’s test came back negative, according to a city of Pullman news release.

Little said his order, for which details were not available Thursday, aligns with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and was taken to help stem the spread of the virus in the county, which is the home of resort communities Ketchum and Sun Valley.

“This is the first time in Idaho that a person contracted the virus from an unknown source in their community,” said Little during a news conference at the capital.

At least two of the cases there involve health care workers. Little said his team is working to ensure doctors, nurses and medical personnel there and elsewhere have personal protective equipment.

“Our number one priority is to slow the spread of the virus in that community and outside of it,” Little said. “To ensure that happens, the director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare will issue an isolation order for residents in the area. We are still working on the details, and residents will still have essential services available to them, such as access to grocery stores and, of course, health care.”

Little resisted extending the order to other areas, noting the state is large and geographically diverse.

“We are not at that point,” he said.

Other political leaders are implementing sweeping closures. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean is closing restaurants and bars in the state’s largest city for 30 days and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee previously shuttered bars and restaurants in the Evergreen State.

Elsewhere in Idaho, the Department of Health and Welfare said a man in his 60s from Kootenai County has tested positive for the disease, the first confirmed case north of the Salmon River. The man is experiencing mild symptoms and is self-isolating, according to a news release from the agency.

Health officials continue to wait for test results in both north central Idaho and southeastern Washington.

“There are people being tested throughout the district,” said Tara Macke, a spokeswoman for Public Health — Idaho North Central District. “We do not have any confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in our health district, but medical facilities are submitting samples to labs and they do not always notify us of their submissions. We are notified of results — positive or negative.”

Troy Henderson, Whitman County Public Health director, said testing capacity and personal protective equipment for medical works remain in short supply. Whitman County has received 14 negative test results and Asotin County has registered seven negative results.

Little ended his news conference by asking Idahoans to practice good hygiene and social distancing, to self-isolate if ill and to help one another.

“I urge everyone to be even more vigilant of the preventative measures to slow the spread of coronavirus. And most of all, I continue to urge Idahoans to take care of each other. Be mindful of our actions. Find someone you can help. We will get through this together.”

Other agencies and organizations made coronavirus-related announcements Thursday.

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Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.