Gov. Brad Little announced in a press conference Thursday, Idaho will move to stage one of the Idaho Rebounds plan starting May 1. The stage one stay healthy order will replace the stay home order and last for two weeks.
“Idaho was one of the last states in the country to have a positive test for coronavirus,” Little said. “At no surprise to me, due to your diligent actions, we are one of the first states to reopen.”
Stage one will allow places of worship, daycares and youth activities to open. Suggested guidelines for these businesses have been posted to the Idaho Rebounds website. These guidelines include a six-foot physical distance between employees and patrons, adequate sanitation and personal hygiene and ways to limit close interactions.
Individual business plans do not need to be submitted to the government for approval, but Idaho Rebounds stated on its website businesses should make their plans available to the public. Little said he hopes to open the economy as fast as possible without overrunning healthcare capacity and negatively impacting consumer confidence.
Originally, contact tracing and testing strategies were required to be in place before Idaho moved into stage one, but the national government has not yet released these strategies. Little said he is nonetheless confident Idaho can move forward into stage one.
Idaho Rebounds cash grants
Little also announced $300 million will be made available to Idaho small businesses in the form of Idaho Rebounds grants. These grants will be up to $10,000 and will support more than 30,000 Idaho businesses.
“Many of these businesses are the backbone of their communities,” Little said. “No other state in the country is putting up a larger amount from the coronavirus relief fund to help small businesses with cash support.”
Small businesses are eligible for Idaho Rebounds grants if they have not received a loan from the Small Business Administration or if they have received less than $10,000 from an SBA loan, Little said. Further eligibility criteria will be available at the Idaho Rebounds website at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Additional details will be released on May 11.
Further details on Idaho Rebounds
Little said there should not be a long wait for unemployment assistance. The money for those on traditional unemployment benefits should be reaching its recipients now. Little will release details relevant to those waiting to hear back from SBA about the paycheck protection program Thursday.
In order to support the agriculture industry, Little said the state has taken money from the CARES Act to buy personal protective equipment to distribute to agriculture workers. Agricultural businesses have been encouraged to continue using best practices to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
Little said the timeline of Idaho Rebounds could shift backwards in the case of a spike in COVID-19 cases. The plan is flexible and will shift depending on the severity of the spike.
He acknowledged concerns of a renewed surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall. And the state will work to raise healthcare capacity to deal with flu and COVID-19 and recommend best practices for staying safe to the public. And schools are still aimming to reopen in the fall.
Little said compliance with the order is in the best interest of communities and businesses. Local help is needed to maintain pressure and encourage others to follow the Idaho Rebounds plan.
“If every business in the state is closed and only one opens, it’s not fair to the rest of those businesses,” Little said. “I think there is a lot of pressure that will come to bear on somebody that does that or on a community that does that if they look at the consequences.”
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]