White House report puts Kootenai County in ‘red zone,’ calls for masking at all times outside the home

Panhandle Health District on Thursday reported the first death related to COVID-19 in Shoshone County.

The individual was in his 80s and had been hospitalized due to complications with COVID-19.

His was the 10th death attributed to the coronavirus in North Idaho. The other nine have been Kootenai County residents, all over the age of 70.

“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones as they grieve their loss,” said Lora Whalen, PHD director, in a press release. “It is vital for our community to take this virus seriously. COVID-19 is highly contagious and we ask that individuals take the necessary precautions to protect their fellow citizens.”

PHD reported 89 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, and now has 1,786 total cases. Of those, 853 are no longer monitored and 32 are hospitalized, with eight in critical care at Kootenai Health.

Kootenai County has 1,491 cases, an increase of 76 cases. Bonner County has 141 cases, Shoshone has 63, Benewah has 40 and Boundary has 34. Seventeen are undetermined.

The 18 to 39 age group has 45 percent of the cases at 801.

Meanwhile, a report from the White House dated July 26 lists Idaho as being in the “red zone,” indicating more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population last week, and for test positivity, indicating a rate above 10%.

The report calls for wearing a mask “at all times outside the home.”

Idaho had 196 new cases per 100,000 population in the past week, compared to a national average of 140 per 100,000, the report said.

Ada, Canyon and Kootenai counties had 76 percent of the state’s new cases over the past three weeks.

“While many counties throughout Idaho are affected the highest case and test positivity rates continue to be in the Boise area and other counties of southwest Idaho, where hospitals are under the most strain,” the report said.

It recommends Idaho officials “Consider further restrictions of opening status under state reopening guidelines for businesses and gathering sizes in localities if cases and hospitalizations continue to rise rapidly.”

The report recommends that counties in the red zone:

• Limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer.

• Do not go to bars, nightclubs or gyms.

• Reduce public interactions and activities to 25% of normal activity

• Increase messaging on the risk of serious disease for individuals in all age groups with preexisting obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.

It also recommends public officials increase testing, recruit more contact tracers and ensure that all retailers and personal services require masks.

PHD urges residents to practice physical distancing, wear cloth face coverings in public places, practice good hand hygiene, stay home when sick, sanitize high-touch surfaces regularly and isolate immediately if showing symptoms of COVID-19.