Gov. Brad Little Announces 4-Stage Reopening And Recovery Plan For Idaho

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, left, announces stricter guidelines for social interactions to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, and also livestreaming the discussion, at his office in Boise on March 18, 2020. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP
File photo. Idaho Gov. Brad Little, left, announces stricter guidelines for social interactions to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, and also livestreaming the discussion, at his office in Boise on March 18, 2020. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP

Listen

QUICK LINKS:

Idaho “Rebound” Recovery Website

State Coronavirus Information Page

Idaho Unemployment Filing

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has announced a four-stage plan for re-opening the state’s businesses and communities after closures due to the coronavirus.

“The first stage will be almost all the retail and houses of faith. The second stage will be restaurants. The third stage will be bars,” Little said.

The fourth stage will allow even larger gatherings with the appropriate physical distancing.

The first stage is scheduled to take effect May 1.

Little says the state has created a detailed plan that will guide what will open and when.

Idaho has created a new website to share details of its new four-stage coronavirus reopening plan.

Idaho has created a new website to share details of its new four-stage coronavirus reopening plan. CREDIT: State of Idaho

“The first stage will be almost all the retail and houses of faith. The second stage will be restaurants. The third stage will be bars,” Little said.

The fourth stage will allow even larger gatherings with the appropriate physical distancing.

Little says each stage will be allowed to run for two weeks, with state officials monitoring health-related information. If the confirmed cases curve continues to flatten, the state will move to the next stage. If there are spikes, it will adjust accordingly.

“Everybody that wants to stay open has got a big incentive to be as cooperative and continue the behavior they’ve had in the past for us to get there,” he said.

The plan is available at a new state website: Rebound.Idaho.gov.

Along with that, Little announced the creation of an Economic Rebound Advisory Committee to decide what steps the state will need to take to rebuild employee and consumer confidence.

If all goes as planned, and Little says that’s a big if, the state could be mostly open by the end of June. But, he cautions, Idaho won’t fully be back to normal until there’s a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Copyright 2020 Spokane Public Radio. To see more, visit spokanepublicradio.org

Related Stories:

A section of I-90 is down to one lane due to heavy smoke near Cataldo, Idaho caused by fires in the area, July 7, 2021. CREDIT: Kathy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review via AP

Idaho Governor Taps National Guard To Help With Firefighting Efforts

“Wildfire is presenting an imminent threat to life, property, and the environment, and we need all hands on deck,” Gov. Brad Little said in a statement. “I appreciate our firefighters and fire managers for working so hard under such challenging conditions, and I am grateful that our guardsmen are able to step in once again to support Idaho communities.”

In the face of rising unemployment and shriveling tax revenues, Gov. Brad Little cut state spending by $40 million Friday. “We know this number is going to be necessary.” CREDIT: Sami Edge/Idaho EdNews

Analysis: In Idaho, A Big Budget Surplus Could Generate A Surplus Of Ideas

Idaho’s ever-growing budget surplus is trending toward a record-shattering and mind-boggling $800 million. The big reason: Individual income tax collections are ahead of forecasts by a whopping $452.2 million. We’ll know the exact surplus sometime after June 30, when the state closes the books on the 2020-21 budget year.