BOISE, Idaho — The City of Boise's newest health order aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus goes into effect Monday.
Mayor Lauren McLean has said the order beefs up enforcement and creates consequences for people and businesses who fail to follow restrictions.
Police officers will respond to complaints from businesses about customers who are not following the city ordinance. Employees can report those violations by calling non-emergency dispatch at 208 377-6790 once the person has been asked to leave. Individuals could face citation or arrest.
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The city is also asking citizens to report businesses that are not following restrictions by calling 208-608-7040. If city inspections find that a store, restaurant, bar, or other business poses "a clear and immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public," that business could lose its license for at least 10 days on the first violation, at least 20 days on the second, and a year on a third violation.
"Essentially the information is recorded from the city clerk's office," Lynda Lowry said, director of finance and administration for Boise City. "The city clerk reviews the information and decides if it's an emergency situation, if we need to send somebody out; a code enforcement officer out to do an inspection of the business to see of there's a public health risk or a non-compliance with the order."
Below are some of the other restrictions going into place Monday pursuant to the new health order. To read the full order, click here.
- City facilities including City Hall, City Hall West, City of Boise Libraries, Boise WaterShed, Foothills Learning Center, Boise Depot, Boise Urban Garden School, Fort Boise Community Center and the James Castle House will closed to the public through at least Jan. 15, 2021.
- Idaho IceWorld, the Boise Senior Center, and Boise Municipal Pools will be closed through summer 2021.
- The Boise Airport will be limited to ticketed airline passengers, those accompanying airline passengers who need help with arrival or departure, people waiting in vehicles at passenger drop-off or pickup, or those in rental vehicles at airport pickup or dropoff locations.
- People in Boise must wear a mask covering their nose and mouth when in a public place. Exceptions are provided for children under two, those with medical conditions, mental health conditions, or disabilities that prevent them from wearing a mask, anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing for whom seeing the mouth is essential for communication or those communicating with the deaf or hard of hearing, workers for whom wearing a face covering poses a safety risk as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines, those receiving a treatment involving the nose, face, or head that make temporary removal of a mask necessary, and those "actively engaged in athletic competition, training, or practice" where wearing a mask is not feasible, and those eating or drinking at a food or beverage establishment, so long as they are practicing physical distancing.
- Every person should maintain at least six feet minimum physical distance from non-household members, whenever possible.
- Everyone should wash or sanitize hands frequently, cover their coughs and sneezes, regularly clean high-touch surfaces, avoid handshakes, and stay home if sick.
- Bars will have to follow Central District Health criteria and requirements in order to remain open, and all bicycle bars will remain shut down.
The order does not include travel restrictions or mandatory closures of businesses, provided they are adhering to restrictions. McLean announced the order Thursday after a briefing from Treasure Valley health leaders who sounded alarms about the pace of new coronavirus infections threatening to overwhelm hospital capacity if citizens do not start following precautions to avoid catching the virus and giving it to others.
At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.
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