Thursday, April 9
6:35 p.m. -- In case you missed it: Gov. Brad Little discussed whether his stay-at-home order will be extended, the Adams County prosecutor is urging the governor to rescind the order, and an Idaho nurse is headed to New York City to help in the front-line fight against COVID-19.
5:25 p.m. -- Two deaths reported in Canyon, Jerome counties, bringing statewide death toll to 24. Total confirmed coronavirus cases now at 1354. See a county-by-county case breakdown and other interactive graphs in our map and timeline.
5:12 p.m. -- President Trump approves Idaho's disaster declaration
President Trump on Thursday approved a major disaster declaration for Idaho and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The president's action frees up federal funding for "emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas in the State of Idaho impacted by COVID-19."
4:23 p.m. -- Three additional deaths reported in Nez Perce County
North Central Health District is reporting three new deaths in Nez Perce County due to COVID-19. The county now has five deaths total. The health district is also now reporting two "probable cases," which are people who have COVID-19 symptoms and have had direct contact with confirmed cases, but have not been tested. See a county-by-county case breakdown and other interactive graphs in our map and timeline.
2:30 p.m. -- Boise School District extends soft closure through May 22nd, postpone graduation ceremonies until late July
Trustees approved the extension at their meeting Thursday. The decision allows district officials to move forward on a number of critical fronts including graduation, personal item pick-up, and summer school.
Graduation ceremonies have been postponed until late July and senior are celebrations planned for May.
Trustees approved video celebrations of seniors in May for all high schools, as well as postponing live, in-person ceremonies until the week of July 20th. Any in-person gatherings in July will require compliance with CDC guidelines in place at the time.
Principals are also working on plans to allow families and students to retrieve personal items from schools in the coming weeks.
Beginning April 13th, parents and students will have access to grade level and course specific weekly lessons for the remainder of the school year. Teachers will be available to provide students and families with support and feedback as they complete the learning. Individual school support schedules will be shared with families in the coming days.
12:57 p.m. -- St. Luke's mandates all staff wear masks
All staff and providers at all St. Luke's hospitals and clinics will be required to wear fluid-resistant masks, the hospital system announced Thursday.
The masks must be worn in patient care areas and common areas, as well as home care areas. Food and nutrition staff and building services personnel are included in the mandate.
"The goal is to help prevent the community spread of COVID-19," said St. Luke's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jim Souza. "Donning procedure masks while in patient-care areas reduces the risk of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic spread of the virus, both from patients to employees and from an employee to a patient."
Read more about what the hospital is doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 here.
12:24 p.m. - Blaine County up to 441 cases
South Central District Health added 34 cases, bringing the statewide total to 1294.
10:46 a.m. - Idahoans file 30,000 more unemployment claims
Unemployment in Idaho continues to rise, with 30,904 more people filing their initial unemployment claim for the week of March 29-April 4. A total of 77,430 people have filed since Gov. Brad Little declared a state of emergency March 8 - a 7,400% percent increase.
More than half - 57% of the new unemployment claims are from people who had been working in the fields of food service, health care and social assistance, construction, or retail. Twenty-seven percent of all claims were filed by people in the 25 to 34 age range.
The rise in coronavirus-related layoffs is reflected across the country, where unemployment claim numbers hit 16.8 million nationally, a new record.
In case you missed it, we covered a Blaine County virtual town hall on coronavirus. One expert says the situation hasn't worsened in the last week or so.
Wednesday, April 8
9:43 p.m. - Southwest District Health updates numbers, removes reported death in Payette County.
Southwest District Health updated its tally of coronavirus cases and deaths connected to COVID-19 Wednesday night. Of note, the health district removed the lone death in Payette County from its list. SWDH initially reported that someone in the county had died earlier this week. A spokesperson for SWDH says the death was initially entered into their system as being COVID-19, but the district is working to confirm it. With the update, there have now been 19 deaths in Idaho as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, the health district is reporting 6 total coronavirus cases in Payette County.
5:35 p.m. -- Five new deaths have been reported in Southern Idaho, including three in Ada County; statewide cases increase to 1,259.
Three more people have died from COVID-19-related complications in Ada County, doubling the number from yesterday, Central District Health announced Wednesday. Blaine County also reported another death, increasing the total there to 5. And Jerome County is reporting its first death. The statewide death toll due to coronavirus now stands at 20. There have been 1,259 confirmed cases statewide. See a county-by-county case breakdown and other interactive graphs in our map and timeline.
4:25 p.m. -- Idaho native and Hollywood star Aaron Paul tweets support for Idaho's new Crush the Curve initiative, which aims to test all essential workers in the state to avoid the inadvertent spread of COVID-19.
2:56 p.m. -- Blaine County to launch COVID-19 antibody study
A study looking at a random sample of 400 Blaine County residents is set to begin. The study will partner the Ketchum Fire Department and Blaine County Ambulance District have partnered with the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Officials will work to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies in both symptomatic and non-symptomatic residents. The study is also aimed at developing vaccines for COVID-19, as well as figuring out the virus's transmissibility, duration of an outbreak and any indicators that can predict a mild vs. serious reaction.
Any Blaine County resident who wishes to sign up for consideration can click here.
1:17 p.m. -- Coronavirus expected to peak in Idaho mid-April
COVID-19 is expected to hit its peak in Idaho next week, according to a projection by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. The peak need for resources is expected to come April 14, while peak deaths will follow April 16.
The projection is based on total social distancing continuing through May, but shows Idaho as well-situated to deal with the surge in cases, with no projected shortfall of hospital beds.
Statewide total now 1213 cases. See a county-by-county case breakdown and other interactive graphs in our map and timeline.
9:30 a.m -- Team Mazda Subaru offers free oil changes to first responders
Team Mazda Subaru wants to give COVID-19 first responders a free oil change. This includes police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors and other health care workers.
If you live or work within a 15 mile radius -- you can get pick-up and delivery service to your home or work.
You can get up to two oil changes per household.
To schedule an appointment call 208-455-0322 before April 30 or send an email to s.morrison@teammazdasubaru.
8:31 a.m. -- Experts warn that wearing gloves to shop still risks cross-contamination
Wearing gloves when heading out to the grocery store does not offer complete protection from catching or spreading coronavirus, according to an expert from Central District Health. Residents still need to be careful to prevent cross-contamination, and should avoid touching their phone, car doors or their face while wearing gloves.
7:15 a.m. -- Volunteer shortage cutting hours at local food banks
Food banks around the area are struggling with a lack of staffing after the coronavirus forced many of their regular volunteers - many of which are senior citizens - to stay home.
Saint Vincent de Paul has temporarily closed the food pantry at Holy Apostles Catholic Church in Meridian and the pantry on Cleveland Boulevard in Caldwell, but the Boise and Nampa locations remain open.
The Meridian Food Bank is also cutting backing hours. Starting April 13, the food bank will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m.
In case you missed it:
- We took a closer look at what the stimulus checks mean for Idahoans and their taxes.
- We also asked experts if it's safe to do take-out right now.