Little preps Blaine County for isolation order
In a Thursday afternoon press conference, Gov. Brad Little said his office is directing the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to issue a mandated isolation order for Blaine County, where the coronavirus count has jumped from four to 16 in 24 hours.
Image courtesy of Idaho Public Television
Idaho saw its sharpest spike in coronavirus cases Thursday, steering Gov. Brad Little to warn of impending isolation orders down south as 24 residents have now tested positive statewide.
“We received confirmation this afternoon that limited community spread of coronavirus has been detected in Blaine Couny,” Little said.
That spread means, for the first time since the pandemic began, an Idahoan in Blaine County contracted the virus from an unknown source in their community.
“Up until now, all confirmed cases were the result of travel to an area outside of the state or from close contact with someone who contracted the virus through travel,” the governor said.
While the definition of the term provokes the thought of rampant, uncontrolled infection, Little said that’s not the case in Blaine County and that the spread in the southern county is not widespread. Still, the governor said he would be handing down a mandatory isolation order for Blaine County soon.
“Our No. 1 priority is to slow the spread of the virus in that community and outside of it,” he said. “To ensure that happens, the director of the Department of Health and Welfare will issue an isolation order in the area.”
Blaine County is home to 16 of the state’s 24 coronavirus cases. While details of the order are not yet known — as the language of the directive is still being crafted — Little said those residents who will eventually fall under the isolation order will still have access to essential goods and services, like groceries and health care needs.
While uncharted spread has yet to become a statewide issue, the virus is moving.
“I know the situation with the coronavirus is changing hourly,” Little said. “There’s now a confirmed case in a new part of the state: in Kootenai County in North Idaho.”
The first local case was confirmed by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Thursday afternoon. The man who tested positive is reportedly a Kootenai County resident who is hunkered down out of state. At this time, no isolation orders are planned to be issued to Kootenai County or any other part of the state outside Blaine County.
“I am firm in my commitment to making decisions in the coronavirus planning and response based on science, not fear,” Little emphasized. “Every step of the way, we have made decisions based on the best information and guidance from the [Centers for Disease Control] and our nation’s leaders.”