BOISE, Idaho —
Legislature returns
Idaho lawmakers, in a first-ever move in state history, reconvened the Legislature after more than five months off to put forward about three dozen bills dealing with COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements.
The House never formally adjourned and came back Monday at the request of Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke. The Senate, though it did adjourn in May, also showed up.
Normally, only the governor can summon lawmakers back to the Statehouse.
After three days of drama, the session came to an abrupt end Wednesday, when a Senate committee killed three House-passed bills after a nearly four-hour hearing, and both houses then called it quits for the year.
The Idaho Press reports out of the 36 bills or resolutions introduced over the course of three days, just one passed: A non-binding memorial to Congress expressing the Legislature’s disapproval of the Biden Administration’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
West Ada to drop mask mandate for students and staff
The West Ada Board of Trustees voted Monday evening to get rid of a mask requirement for students and staff after they return from Thanksgiving break.
Masks will be optional in school beginning Nov. 29.
Officials say they will continue to follow the same positive case notification process of alerting parents or guardians when a positive case was reported in one or more of their child's classrooms.
Families are asked to monitor their children for symptoms of COVID-19, and keep them home from school if they are sick.
During Idaho Health and Welfare's weekly COVID meeting, state epidemiologist Doctor Christine Hahn said that districts were acting too quick in dropping mask mandates.
"We have a little over 8,000 kids in the 5-11 year age group vaccinated which is just a small fraction of the over 100,000 kids in the age group," Dr. Hahn said. "We are worried that it's too hasty, we want to give a chance to get those kids vaccinated."
Idaho signs on to 3rd vaccine mandate lawsuit
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Monday joined a third lawsuit against President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates.
This lawsuit, which originated in Louisiana, is a challenge to the requirement that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19, the virus that has killed 3,752 Idahoans since March 2020.
A dozen states total, including Idaho, have joined in the lawsuit.
Little has also joined two other lawsuits opposing the mandates that federal contractors require vaccines and that private companies with over 100 employees require their workers to either get vaccinated or be tested weekly for COVID-19.
Under the mandate for healthcare workers, facilities that do not require their staff to get a COVID-19 vaccine risk losing access to Medicaid and Medicare funding.
Monoclonal antibody clinic opens in Boise
A new monoclonal antibody treatment center is now open in Boise, making the treatment widely available to residents in the Treasure Valley.
Direct COVID Care (DCC) can treat up to 100 people every week, including pediatric and adult patients age 12 and older.
DCC Medical Director Ryan Williams said monoclonal antibody treatment will benefit COVID-19 patients and healthcare workers.
"Reducing the disease burden with the number of COVID-associated hospitalizations in our community is the key to moving out of Crisis Standards of Care," Williams said. " [It] will benefit our entire community by allowing a return to normalcy in access to subspecialty care and elective procedures."
Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced plans for the state to open three monoclonal antibody treatment facilities to help treat COVID-19 in September; one in Eastern Idaho, one in North Idaho, and one in the Treasure Valley.
Idaho medical experts said the Treasure Valley facility was taking longer than expected to open to the public, but it is now open to those who are eligible for the treatment.
Gov. Brad Little praises the suspension of federal OSHA vaccine mandate
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is suspending enforcement of a rule mandating private companies with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or be subject to testing, a decision Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday called "very welcome news."
The suspension of that controversial rule comes after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 12 granted a motion to stay what's formally known as the COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard.
That rule was not scheduled to take effect until Jan. 4, 2022. Because of the stay from the Fifth Circuit, that's now on hold while lawsuits from dozens of states continue to go through the courts. If the rule is ever implemented, it potentially could affect 84 million American workers.
Challenges to the OSHA mandate are being consolidated into the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in Cincinnati.
In a statement released by his office Wednesday, Gov. Little said: "The Biden administration is putting his OSHA vaccine mandate on hold, thanks to the states, including Idaho, which are taking a stand against this unprecedented government overreach into the private sector. Our work is not done, and we will continue to fight the Biden vaccine mandates, but this is very welcome news for many Idahoans."
COVID-19 numbers continue to drop in most areas of Idaho
Key indicators of how the virus is impacting Idaho continued to paint a better picture of where the state is heading.
The average number of new daily cases, the number of people hospitalized and in the ICU, and the state's positivity rate continued the recent trend downward.
With other areas of the country experiencing a surge in new cases in recent weeks, Idaho has so far been able to continue trending in a better direction.
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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