Idaho Public health officials announced Monday the first two confirmed coronavirus cases in Bannock County and at least one of the infected residents works in Pocatello.

The Southeastern Idaho Public Health District now has three confirmed coronavirus cases. When coupled with an increase of at least 15 new cases in the South Central Public Health District, the total number of infected persons in Idaho has been raised to more than 65.

As Idaho continues to see an increase in COVID-19 infections — the illness caused by the new pandemic-strain of coronavirus — agencies, businesses, government officials and schools are diligently trying to prevent the virus from spreading.

“Protecting and preserving the health and safety of our residents is at the very core of what we do,” said Maggie Mann, SIPH district director. “We are calling on each of you to follow public health guidance to help protect their families and prevent the virus from spreading. We must all do our part to prevent the spread of the virus.”

SIPH said in a Monday news release that the Bannock County cases both involve males in their 30s who had a history of travel.

The investigation is in its primary stage and both patients are at home recovering, SIPH officials said.

One of the people confirmed to have contracted the virus in Bannock County works at the federal courthouse in Pocatello, according to a Monday afternoon press release from Stephen W. Kenyon, the clerk of the U.S. District Court of Idaho.

“A person working in the courthouse tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus after recent travel,” Kenyon said in the release. “That person has been in self-quarantine since returning from the travel. However, the Pocatello courthouse will be closed as a precautionary measure against the possible spread of the virus. Until further notice, all public events and ceremonies scheduled for the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts in Pocatello are cancelled.”

Kenyon said the federal courthouse in Pocatello will close for at least the next two weeks, from March 23 until April 6.

Public health officials across the state have urged residents to self-isolate, and several agencies have upped precautionary measures to help prevent the coronavirus from spreading. Mann says it’s difficult to predict how long the recommended period of self-isolation is expected to last but confirmed such measures are being recommended for at least the next two weeks.

“What we are dealing with here is a new virus and an unprecedented situation,” Mann said. “It is very hard to predict but we know that this recommended period of self-isolation will last longer than two weeks and will probably be months. But I hate to put a timeline on this. We just don’t know yet and I know that is not satisfying but that is the reality. We have to do everything we can in our communities to help limit the spread of this virus.”

The mayor of Boise on Monday enacted a social distancing order, requiring businesses and venues to keep groups of people to fewer than 10, with people maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from each other.

The order announced by Boise Mayor Lauren McLean Monday goes into effect on Tuesday. Grocery stores, medical facilities, government agencies and sites providing social services are exempt, the mayor said, and businesses are still allowed to offer carry-out, drive-through and delivery services. The order lasts for 30 days.

“These actions are painful but necessary,” McLean wrote in her statement announcing the order. “I’m asking the community to come together and make these needed changes in response to this crisis we face.”

Southeast Idaho has not yet issued a mandatory social distancing order, but such a drastic measure may be necessary if local businesses cannot adhere to recommended guidelines, Mann said.

“Many businesses or establishments are offering curbside pickups, to-go orders and various delivery options during this recommended period of social distancing,” Mann said. “We are trying to work with our local establishments so they have some sort of revenue stream and we strongly recommend that they limit the people in their establishment to adhere to social distancing guidelines of 6 feet of separation. We are currently encouraging that on a voluntary basis, but if the situation worsens or businesses are not following the recommendations then we will likely take more formal actions.”

While almost all school districts in East Idaho have already announced closures of their schools lasting until April 6, the Idaho State Board of Education on Monday directed all public school districts and charter schools to immediately implement a “soft closure” of all classroom facilities through April 20.

The board ordered the soft closure when it approved the COVID-19 School Operation Guidance developed by Gov. Brad Little’s K-12 Emergency Council convened in recent days in response to the pandemic.

The guidance directs districts and charters to provide three essential services during the soft closure — provide food services to under-served populations and childcare for community members who provide critical services, develop and implement plans for delivering remote or distance learning strategies (online, video or teleconference) and develop a plan for providing special education-related services.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes declared on Friday a state of emergency on the Fort Hall Reservation, reducing governmental operations to essential services only. Tribal spokeswoman Randy’l Teton said Monday that after a case of coronavirus was confirmed about 25 miles from the reservation border on Friday, all non-essential tribal government operations have been suspended for at least the next 14 days and employees of those offices or divisions are at home in self-isolation.

Moreover, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes announced Monday that the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel will completely close until April 3. Previously, just the gaming floor of the hotel’s casino had been closed.

The confirmed coronavirus case located within 25 miles of the Fort Hall Reservation was a 37-year-old man in Bingham County, who at the time of the announcement Friday was the first confirmed case in Southeast Idaho.

One question health officials in Idaho have been fielding quite frequently is why confirmed cases are reported at the county level as opposed to by city or town.

Tracy McCulloch, community health director for SIPH said confirmed cases are announced at the county level in order to protect patient medical information.

“Because communities in Idaho are often rural and are smaller than densely populated areas, we only release the county of the confirmed cases and not the town they live in to protect that person’s identity,” McCulloch said. “We follow that same process with any communicable disease reported in the state.”

Teton County, in consultation with Teton Valley Health, recommended Saturday night that its residents stay at home and self-isolate because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement was made with the support of the county’s three largest cities — Driggs, Victor and Tetonia — and will remain in effect until April 5. With a population of about 11,400, Teton County currently has two confirmed coronavirus cases. Both of the infected individuals are recovering from the virus at their homes.

In Canyon County, public health officials are currently working closely with the Middleton School District after a confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in an Ada County resident who had been in Middleton Middle School on March 11 and 12. The individual may have been contagious at that time, according to public health officials.

Southwest District Health and Middleton School District are working to identify those who may have come into close contact with the individual. Once those contacts are identified, Southwest District Health staff and volunteers will contact those staff, faculty, and parents of children who had closest contact with the individual testing positive for COVID-19.

Gov. Little said Monday that he was working to lighten some regulatory requirements on health care providers so retired nurses, physicians’ assistants and others can provide medical care if the state’s health care system begins to get overwhelmed. Little also postponed Idaho’s tax filing deadline by 60 days to June 15, along with deadlines for applying for property tax relief.

The governor said he’s not currently considering any shelter-in-place or social distancing orders for the state, instead just urging elderly, medically frail and chronically ill residents and their caregivers to stay home to reduce the chance of becoming infected.

He also acknowledged that the state’s limited testing supplies raises concerns that officials may be underestimating the danger posed by the coronavirus.

Some of Idaho’s drive-through testing clinics have indicated that they’re turning nine out of 10 test-seekers away because they don’t meet the criteria for receiving tests.

“But that doesn’t mean they should get tested,” said Dr. Christine Hahn, the state epidemiologist, noting that some people asking for COVID-19 tests don’t have any symptoms and simply want it for peace of mind.

Mann advises people to stay at home until their conditions worsen if they suspect they may have contracted COVID-19 but are experiencing only mild symptoms.

“Treat this like any other mild to moderate illness and stay home,” Mann said. “Most people don’t call the doctors if they have a cold. With this virus, it’s really important that people stay home. I know it can be frustrating, but we have had close to 1,000 tests at the state labs and they are only running about 4 percent positive rate and the people currently being tested are the sickest.”

Mann continued, “We know there are other illnesses like influenza or older coronaviruses that we see on a regular basis that are still out there floating around in our communities.”

In Blaine County, 14 of the 36 confirmed coronavirus cases were in health care workers, including two emergency room doctors at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center, the Idaho Mountain Express reported. All but two of the South Central Public Health District’s confirmed cases are located in Blaine County.

Though many different locales across the state have initiated various measures to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, Mann says social distancing is of the utmost importance right now because a vast majority of the population will likely acquire the virus at some point. The goal is to ensure not everyone is sick at once, which will allow health care workers to adequately treat the most vulnerable of the population. Eventually, normal life will resume, Mann said.

“A high percentage of the population will probably acquire this virus,” Mann said. “But thankfully the vast majority, about 80 percent, will only have mild or at the worst moderate symptoms. But because that 20 percent is more medically fragile and needs advanced care that is why it is so critical to protect our community even if we are not in a high-risk category.”

Mann continued, “Focusing on preparedness, staying calm, reaching out to check on the well-being of others, and self-care will help you through this challenging moment in history. Remind yourself that COVID-19 is a serious but temporary illness, and that life will return to normal in time.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.