Little ups restrictions, mobilizes national guard

BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Friday mobilized the Idaho National Guard and restricted group sizes to 10 or fewer to fight the coronavirus as infections and deaths surge across the state.

The Republican governor during the remotely held news conference said the moves are needed because health care facilities are within weeks of having to ration care because of workers out sick with COVID-19.

“We are in the middle of an unprecedented and dangerous time in our state’s history,” Little said. “With every day that passes, we are breaking records with the number of COVID deaths, the number of overall hospitalizations and the number of new cases in communities all across our state.”

The restrictions are a return to Stage 2 of his Idaho Rebounds plan to reopen the economy while slowing the spread of the virus. Little issued a stay-at-home order last spring that lasted about a month. The state successfully advanced to Stage 4 at two-week intervals, but it now has dropped back to Stage 2. In the latest version of Stage 2, bars, nightclubs and restaurants can continue operating, but customers must be seated.

The limit of 10 people doesn’t apply to religious or political gatherings.

Little is ordering 100 troops to help with various tasks, potentially including mobile testing support, medical facility decontamination and COVID-19 screenings.

Maj. Gen. Michael J. Garshak, the adjutant general of Idaho and the commanding general of the Idaho National Guard, said the troops will help free up civilian medical workers.

Stage 2 requires masks at long-term care facilities, recommends that at-risk residents self-isolate, and encourages businesses to allow employees to work from home.

Through Thursday, Idaho had more than 78,000 infections and 749 deaths, Johns Hopkins University reported. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reports that the positivity rate among those being tested is nearly 17%, well about the 5% or less state officials would like to see.

The virus is now so widespread that the state’s court system has stopped holding jury trials, a school district in heavily populated southwestern Idaho is returning to remote learning and medical care providers are struggling to even answer all the phone calls from would-be patients.

There is also concern that rising fears could prevent consumers from entering the marketplace, causing unemployment numbers to start ticking up.

Little didn’t impose a statewide mask mandate, something healthcare officials have called for but an issue that has become political and faces fierce opposition among some in red-state Idaho, particularly in Little’s own party.

Little said he will try to persuade more people to wear masks with a public information campaign featuring people who have been infected and healthcare workers who deal with the sick and dying.

On Friday, a young women using oxygen also spoke during the news conference. Amelia Cortez said she was eight months pregnant when she went to the hospital because of the virus. She said she ended up in the intensive care unit for three weeks, where she gave birth to her daughter.

She said young adults like to go out with friends but tend to get careless.

“I think we as young adults need to activate and wake up,” Cortez said. “COVID is real, and it’s here to attack your lungs.”

State epidemiologist Christine Hahn said a new treatment for the illness and a potential vaccine with limited availability expected early next year offer hope, but meanwhile wearing a mask to avoid catching or spreading the virus is necessary.