HAILEY — Officials with the South Central Public Health District in Twin Falls confirmed on Saturday afternoon the second case of the novel coronavirus in Idaho.

The second case involves a woman from Blaine County over the age of 50, who is recovering from mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization, according to Melody Bowyer, director of the health district.

After the announcement, Blaine County School District Board Chairman Keith Roark and Superintendent GwenGarol Holmes said in a press release that all schools and facilities are closed to the public, beginning Monday. The closures will last through April 5.

“We are working in coordination with (South Central Public Health District) and decided in an abundance of caution to close schools,” Roark said in a press release. “We realize this will cause hardship for many of our families in regards to childcare and daily nutrition. We hope to announce plans for providing nutrition services soon.”

It is still unknown where the patient contracted the virus. Although she recently traveled to a neighboring state, the state did not have confirmed cases while she was there. Officials said they would not identify which state she traveled to.

“We initiated our investigation late last night, and the patient is following directives from public health to self isolate at home,” Bowyer said at a press conference. “We are working as fast as humanly possible. We have very limited information, and we ask for your understanding.”

According to a Idaho Department of Health and Welfare press release, her physician’s office was prepared and wearing proper protective gear when the individual was evaluated. Her movement history is also being closely evaluated at this time, the press release stated.

The first case identified in Idaho was linked to travel out of state. That meant, as of yesterday, Idaho had not yet identified a “community transmission” case — an infection that can’t be traced back to another known infection. Gov. Brad Little on Friday suggested he didn’t plan to make any major changes as a result of Idaho’s first COVID-19 case, because it was linked to other known cases.

“At this point we’re still investigating” the Blaine County case, said Brianna Bodily, public information officer for the health district. “We’re not classifying this as community transmission, but as we investigate further, that could change. Because we are investigating 14 days before the symptoms started, we have several points we need to check out” before deciding how to classify it, she said.

Public health administrators confirmed that she stayed home while she was symptomatic.

“The good news is she followed the guidance of the CDC and health district, and she stayed home when she felt ill. She did not go to work; she did not go out in public,” officials said. “With this disease, the people that are symptomatic are driving the disease.”

As of Saturday afternoon, 163 people have been tested through the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, and 13 people have been tested in Idaho through private labs. There are only two lab-confirmed cases in Idaho. For up to date information on testing and COVID-19 in Idaho, go to coronavirus.idaho.gov. South Central Public Health District includes Twin Falls, Cassia, Jerome Minidoka, Gooding, Lincoln, Camas and Blaine counties in Idaho.

Officials confirmed that they do not feel that any businesses or schools in the area have any more risk in the area prior to Friday.

Idaho’s first confirmed case linked to ISU-Meridian student

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare confirmed the state’s first case of the novel coronavirus on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, Idaho State University President Kevin Satterlee confirmed in a letter to the ISU community that the individual is a student attending the ISU-Meridian campus.

That case involves a woman in her 50s in Ada County, said Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator of public health for the Department of Health and Welfare. The woman has experienced mild to moderate symptoms that didn’t require hospitalization, and she’s recovering well, Shaw-Tulloch said.

The woman had returned from a conference in New York City, Shaw-Tulloch said. Three other attendees at that conference have tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Out of an abundance of caution, our university took action Friday morning to close our Meridian campus for cleaning. The closure and cleaning decision was made before we had confirmation of the COVID-19 case,” Satterlee said in a letter.

Satterlee explained that all potentially impacted individuals who had contact with the student have already been notified and are being monitored.

“If you are not contacted by Central District Health or our University Health Center, then there is no reason for you to have elevated concern,” Satterlee said. “CDH has advised us that this is not an illness that is spread through brief, casual contact.”

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19, the disease that emerged in China in 2019, is caused by a new type of coronavirus. Other types of coronavirus, such as the common cold, can infect humans but have mild symptoms. Scientists and medical providers are still learning about the new virus and are working on potential vaccines and treatments.

The virus has spread from China to many other countries in the past several months. The first cases closest to Idaho were confirmed in Washington and Oregon in January and February.

The new coronavirus is believed to have a higher mortality rate than seasonal flu, especially among the elderly and people with other health conditions or compromised immune systems. Public health experts stress the importance of hygiene and self-isolation to slow the spread of the virus.

What if I think I have the coronavirus?

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says to call a medical provider if you:

Have been in an area during the past 14 days where people have been infected.Are concerned you might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.Have symptoms of fever or cough.

The symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, sore throat, joint and bone pain, headache and chills.