Can you be safe out there in Bonner County?

We are in a worse-case scenario. We are in a pandemic caused by a highly contagious virus, COVID-19. It can be transmitted by an infected person who is not showing symptoms of the disease. In Bonner County people over 65 account for about 20% of the population. Add to that the number of people with underlying medical conditions, such as coronary artery disease, a compromised immune system or diabetes, and we have a significant percentage of the 42,000 plus residents of Bonner County who are in the high-risk category.

Idaho currently has nearly 2,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There are/have been few cases in Bonner County. Just because we are a rural county in North Idaho we are not immune to the virus. COVID-19 infection is not just an urban disease. For example, in Albany, Georgia, a rural town in Georgia with 77,000 residents, a funeral was attended by one out-of-state visitor who was at the beginning stages of the disease. Now there are over 1,000 COVID-19 cases and over 100 deaths in Albany and their county had/has one of the highest number of cases per population.

Bonner County is known for its remarkable recreational opportunities. We currently have little exposure to tourists from northwest or beyond as we are in the so call shoulder months. However, this will change come summer when peak tourist season arrives.

The number of COVID-19 in most of the US is not increasing. We have not overwhelmed out health care facility with COVID-19 patients. But we are not yet out of the woods. The virus is still with us and people are still getting COVID-19 infections. Our health care experts continue to tell us that we will be at risk until a vaccine is developed.

To prevent people from spreading and getting COVID-19 while fulfilling necessary duties, the World Health Organization, the US Center for Disease Control, and the State of Idaho issued recommendations or directives. One of the most important of these is to maintain 6-feet social distancing. Another is to use a face mask when in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores).

To get an indication of where we are in protecting us from getting or spreading COVID-19 several friends and I visited grocery stores in the Sandpoint area. We went several times over a two-day period in late April to see if masks were being worn and if social distancing was being observed. While the focus was on grocery store employees, we noticed that only about 10% of the customers were wearing masks. Employees at Safeway and Walmart were wearing masks. Employees at Yokes, Super 1 and Winter Ridge were NOT wearing masks. They are the workers who handle our food as we check out and prepare items in the bakery, meat, and produce sections. You can order groceries at Super 1 in advance and they will bring them out to your car. Unfortunately, the delivery person neither wore gloves nor a mask when delivering. Social distancing guides and one-way aisle guides were taped to the floor at Safeway. Social distancing was not seen at the other grocery stores.

If what is happening at groceries stores does not change and is present at other Sandpoint businesses, once COVID-19 arrives it would be easy for it to spread. This would have serious ramifications for significant portions of Bonner County. Our vulnerability to COVID-19 will only increase with the increase of summer visitors. We encourage all local businesses and residents to follow the physician/scientist recommendations to maintain social distance and wear a mask.

KEN MEYERS

Sagle