Kootenai County, ID: Following the evening briefing of the Kootenai County Emergency Operations Center Unified Command, today’s report shows one new case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kootenai County, bringing our total to nine.
According to the Panhandle Health District, the new case involves a male. The male is in his 40’s who is self-isolating. He is experiencing mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization.
Additionally, as of March 25th, Governor Little issued a statewide “Stay-at-Home” order for Idaho. The order is in effect for 21 days but does not apply to businesses classified as “essential.” This designation applies to healthcare workers, public safety workers, and other "essential" workers. You can find the breakdown of who is essential on our Facebook page. It should be noted people will be allowed to leave their homes to obtain or provide essential services.
Little also ordered the closure of all dine-in restaurants in the state, although drive-through, takeout and delivery will still be allowed. "Non-essential" businesses like gyms, bars, salons and convention centers must close.
If you begin to show symptoms associated with COVID-19 (cough, fever, tiredness, and difficulty breathing), ensure you quarantine. If you are tested for COVID-19, ensure that you self-isolate until you receive your test results. The importance of self-isolating cannot be stressed enough. However, when the symptoms subside you need to continue to self-isolate for an additional 72 hours before removing yourself from isolation. Please adhere to these guidelines to help end the transmission of this virus.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there on social media. So for the most accurate and up-to-date information on COVID-19 please continue to follow the Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kootenaioem/.
Unified Commanders,
Sheriff Ben Wolfinger
Chief Chris Way