Gov. Brad Little announced Thursday that Idaho did not meet the metrics needed to move out of the final stage of the Idaho Rebounds plan. Idaho will stay in the final stage of the Idaho Rebounds plan for at least another two weeks.

Idaho did not meet the epidemiologic and healthcare criteria to advance past Stage 4:

• The number of reported cases from June 10-25 trended upward instead of downward.
• The percent of positive tests from June 8-21 trended upward instead of downward.
• The average percent positive for the prior 14-day period was greater than 5-percent at 5.12-percent.
• The number of healthcare workers reported with COVID-19 from June 10-23 trended upward, and the average number of healthcare workers reported having COVID-19 per day was greater than the standard of 2.

He also announced that the state’s COVID-19 response will transition to a more regional approach as the number of cases in some counties has increased significantly, but several others have had no reports of COVID-19 cases. The seven local public health districts across the state are continually evaluating the criteria at the local level and will announce any changes in moving forward.

What this all means is that it remains critical for everyone – especially those who are 18-29 years old — to follow the recommended guidelines and stay home if you’re sick, wear a face covering and keep six feet apart in public, and wash your hands frequently. It’s also a good idea to avoid large gatherings of people to help reduce your personal risk of getting COVID-19.

The ultimate goal is to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep us within the capacity of our healthcare system so people who do need hospital-level care can get it when they need it.

Idaho’s success depends on us all.

COVID-19 HOTLINE

Idaho’s response to COVID-19 is now primarily local or regional in nature, and the need for a statewide hotline has changed. The state of Idaho and the Governor’s Office will continue to monitor statewide COVID-19 activity and work closely with the seven local public health districts across the state to ensure the health and safety of Idahoans, but the local districts will have more information about COVID-19 in their communities than we will have at the state level.

Starting this morning, the COVID-19 Hotline has been deactivated. For questions about COVID-19 in your area, please contact your local public health district.

Stay safe and stay healthy.