Bonner County back in the red
Bonner County has been moved back to the substantial, or red, risk categorization according to a Thursday announcement by Panhandle Health.
What it means for the public
PHD does not have regulatory authority, however it does advise various entities including the school districts in the region said Katherine Hoyer, PHD public information officer.
Within the Lake Pend Oreille School District, board members decided in a meeting Tuesday to stick with the same yellow categorization plan should the county move to red.
These included requiring masks in K-6 grade when distance could not be maintained (this previously was not required because of the district’s cohort system in elementary schools), more breaks in the elementary schools at teacher discretion and allowing schools flexibility including potential added lunches at the secondary level to increase social distancing.
At the West Bonner County School District, board members amended their plans for PHD moving to red on Nov. 3 to have children in K-6 grade and special education students remain in school five days a week while secondary schools move to a hybrid learning model.
Things like sporting events are also likely to be affected, with schools largely basing the number of individuals allowed at games on PHD’s guidelines and those from the Idaho High School Activities Association.
Many changes residents experience from the increase in cases have already been implemented due to the state’s category three regulations, which include limiting indoor gatherings to 50 people or fewer and limiting outdoor activities to 25% capacity.
The data
For the county to move to red, three factors are considered by Panhandle Health District that can trigger the move to red: The positivity rate of COVID-19 tests reaching 20% or more, a 7-day incidence rate and of 30 or more cases and hospital capacity, including ICU, consistently at or above 100% where surge capacity cannot be maintained or having Crisis Standards of Care implemented.
In Bonner County, the seven-day incidence rate reached 30.6 as of Wednesday, with 653 total cases according to data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
In percent positivity, the most recent date was not yet published because it takes time for the state to clean the data, said Niki Forbing-Orr, public information manager at IDHW.
Most labs send negative and positive results to the state, she said, however, some only send positive results as required by law. Because both are required to calculate percent positivity, cleaning data and accurately calculating that percent takes significant time and labor, she said.
As of the most recent data from Nov. 7, the positivity rate in Bonner County had reached 12.6% according to the DHW website.
At Bonner General, there were four COVID-19 inpatient cases with two in the intensive care unit and two in the medical/surgical unit as of Thursday morning said Erin Binnall, public information officer for Bonner General Hospital.
Recommended precautions
To reduce the spread of the virus, the public is advised to stay home if they are sick, maintain physical distance of 6 feet from others, wear face coverings while at work and in public and wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds according to a press release from PHD.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it is also important to note that much of the spreading has been from smaller family gatherings, Forbing-Orr said.
“Be aware of the risks,” she said. “If [you] are planning Thanksgiving, the safest option is to celebrate with the people we live with.”
For celebrations with older relatives, the safest option for them is to connect digitally over video chat, she said. Alternatively, if they are visiting in-person, face coverings should be worn, including inside the house, along with other safety protocols.
Further guidelines for low, and moderate-risk gatherings can also be found on the Center for Disease Control website, Forbing-Orr said, and can be a valuable resource for families heading into the holiday season.