Valley leadership, organizations take unprecedented steps amid coronavirus outbreak
By Eric Valentine
If it has walls and a roof, surfaces, and groups of humans congregating, then it’s probably closed or cancelled by now.
One by one and one after another the past several days, Valley event organizers and government bodies announced closures and other drastic measures to prevent large-scale coronavirus outbreak here. By Monday, it was clear—even with only two COVID-19 cases reported in Blaine County and five across the state as of press deadline Tuesday—this enclave resort region would be resorting to the safety measures in play all across the world.
“We applaud some of the proactive efforts already taken in our community to prevent the spread of disease,” said Melody Bowyer, South Central Public Health District director. “Some of these recommendations aren’t easy and won’t be popular, but ensuring the health, safety and well-being of our communities is a top priority.”
What follows is a rundown of the essential services and high-profile events that announced extreme changes in recent days due to the coronavirus pandemic. Wood River Weekly will continue posting various updates on its Facebook page at facebook.com/woodriverweekly as press releases become available.
The Infrastructure
Schools—Blaine County School District Board Chairman Keith Roark and Superintendent Dr. GwenCarol Holmes announced that all schools and facilities are closed to the public through Sunday, April 5. This included the BCSD Community Campus.
The district also announced that it would be operating free Grab-n-Go food distribution for all children 18 and under starting March 18 through March 20. Most distribution times start around 11 a.m., but specifics can be found online at blaineschools.org. Future dates will be announced later on the district’s website and Facebook page.
Government—For the most part, and as of press deadline Tuesday, city and county offices are open to essential workers. Public events, however, have been cancelled or postponed, and details can be found fairly easily online.
In Hailey, City Hall remains open for public business; however, business will be conducted by phone and under only highly necessary conditions by appointment. Effective at close of business on Monday, Hailey City Hall joined its outlying offices—including Hailey Police Department, Hailey Fire Department, Hailey Public Library and Hailey Public Works Facilities—in locking its doors to public access while remaining open and available by phone.
What about other government institutions, like the DMV?
To reduce large gatherings of people, the Idaho Transportation Department’s Division of Motor Vehicles announced it is instituting a 90-day extension on some credentials. The public is also encouraged to use the DMV’s online services rather than go to the county Sheriff’s and Assessor’s offices for essential services. The 90-day extension applies to driver’s licenses and non-commercial registration. If one of these credentials expires between March 1 and May 31, you will have until June 30 to renew.
And how about the courts?
The Idaho Supreme Court released an emergency order to provide administrative guidance to local courts over the weekend. The order establishes measures with guidance for implementation through April 10.
“If a person has a court date scheduled, they should contact their local court to determine whether the judge overseeing their case will hold the hearing and whether they will be required to attend in person or via telephone. The order does not direct the process of any individual case and the Supreme Court has not vacated any individual cases’ hearings or excused the appearance of any individual,” the court said.
Mountain Rides had announced transit would continue but that capacity would be limited to the number of seats available on any bus. In other words, no more standing room allowed. To make sure there are enough seats at busy commute times, Mountain Rides said it will run two buses on the northbound leg of the Valley Route departing Clover Street, Bellevue, at 7 a.m. each weekday. To help ensure that boarding of the bus happens as quickly as possible and to give passengers a chance to space themselves evenly among all seats on the bus, Mountain Rides, on all routes and at all times, will run fare-free.
Concurrent with the closure of Sun Valley Resort mountain operations, Mountain Rides will discontinue service on the Bronze Route and the Gold Route.
First Responders—There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 with any of the police and emergency personnel as of press deadline Tuesday. In Hailey, the police chief did institute a no-handshaking policy between officers and members of the public.
“Please do not be offended when a member of the Hailey Police does not shake your hand if offered to do so. Avoiding human contact unless the call we are on dictates it will be vital to our officers’ well-being,” Hailey Police Chief Steve England wrote.
But what about the medical field and all that testing that’s supposed to be happening? According to South Central Public Health District, there’s not as much going on as medical professionals would like.
“South Central Public Health District does not have any COVID-19 testing kits in any of our five offices. Doctors’ offices and county offices also do not store these kits. The COVID-19 testing kits are distributed from federal organizations, like the CDC, directly to authorized labs. Healthcare providers can send in samples to these labs for testing,” Brianna Bodiily, SCPHD public information officer, explained.
The lack of testing makes it that much more critical for people to practice social distancing as much as possible.
Nonprofits—Charitable organizations have been taking proactive, anticoronavirus steps, too. At Mountain Humane, the adoption center and the The Barkin’ thrift store have been closed, but intake, impounding and food delivery programs continue.
The Environmental Resource Center announced its office would be closing and that recycling dropoffs suspended until reopening.
“Our outdoor education programs may take a different form for the time being, but they will continue,” Lindsay Mollineaux, ERC executive director, said. “Please connect with us online at ercsv.org and on social media.”
The Infotainment
Sun Valley Resort—Sun Valley and Snowbasin resorts decided to close for the remainder of the 2019-2020 winter season. Mountain operations were completely shut down, but the resort said Sun Valley Village operations would be limited.
Sun Valley Film Festival—At first the festival said the show would go on, but in a revised capacity. Once the first case of COVID-19 hit the Valley, that changed. Festival organizers didn’t postpone—they cancelled outright and said cheers to next year.
Libraries—The Hailey Public Library was the first to close all programs and services until April 6. Items currently checked out to patrons will not be due until the library reopens, the library said. By Monday afternoon, Ketchum and Bellevue libraries followed suit.