BGH: Now is not the time to end ‘stay-home’ order

Bonner General Health’s priority is the safety of Bonner County, hospital official said in a Friday press release.

“We are prepared, responding appropriately, and are committed to protecting the well-being of our staff, patients, visitors, and our community,” hospital officials said in a statement of support for Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s “stay-home” order.

Bonner General Health continues to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the hospital’s clinical experts during the novel coronavirus pandemic. “We all must do our part to keep ourselves, family, and community members safe,” they said.

The BGH team values the trust the community places in them and hospital officials said they stand behind its medical staff and emergency department physicians as they encourage our community to stay healthy and continue following the “stay-home order.”

“Along with all of our neighbors, we can’t wait for the current restrictions and expectations to ease,” said Dr. Ben Good in a statement endorsed by Bonner General Health, BGH medical staff, and BGH Emergency Department providers. “Like everyone, we miss gatherings with friends, dinners at our delicious restaurants,

communal worship, and even excursions as mundane as trips to the grocery store.”

The medical staff at Bonner General Hospital stands behind Governor Little regarding the current “stay-home order,” Dr. Morgan Morton, medical chief of staff for Bonner General Health, said.

“Calling the Legislature into session at this time will only put the legislators and the state of Idaho at risk,” Morton said in the statement. “As Governor Little states, we need to continue to make ‘decisions about our response to coronavirus based on science.’ We know that social distancing will slow the spread of the disease and decrease the number of Idaho citizens that will die from this disease. We strongly encourage the public to heed our advice to protect yourself, your family, and your community.”

BGH officials said the time is not yet right for the anyone to get back to the public ease enjoyed before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

“Because of the long incubation time, high numbers of minimally affected to asymptomatic individuals, and the lack of rapid, reliable testing, returning to our old way of life now would be akin to giving the COVID-19 an invitation to spread quickly throughout our community,” Lake Pend Oreille Emergency Medicine Group and Bonner General Health Emergency Department physicians said in the press release. “If we let down our guard prematurely, the sacrifices of the past two weeks will have been for naught.”