Idaho restrictions remain; governor touts food banks

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho will remain in the fourth and final stage for reopening the economy for at least another two weeks as coronavirus infection rates and hospitalizations remain too high, Gov. Brad Little said Friday.

The Republican governor spoke at the Idaho Foodbank in Boise, where he emphasized the need to support food banks during the pandemic when many people have lost jobs. He said $2.56 million in federal coronavirus relief money will be made available to the Idaho Foodbank for use throughout the state.

“More and more Idaho families are turning to their local food banks and food assistance programs during the coronavirus pandemic,” Little said.

Idaho Foodbank officials say they saw a 10 percent to 50 percent increase in food demand when the pandemic reached the state in March and the economy started shutting down.

“We are experiencing increased food insecurity in our state,” Idaho Foodbank President and CEO Karen Vauk said.

Little also said that $10 million of relief money would go to long-term care facilities to keep residents safe during the pandemic.

Little said the state currently has sufficient ICU beds, ventilators and personal protective equipment. He also said the number of people being admitted to hospitals is stabilizing, and that positivity test rates are falling.

The governor got good news earlier in the day when the state Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate had dropped to 5 percent in July under his reopening plan.

However, Johns Hopkins University through Thursday reports that Idaho had more than 29,000 coronavirus infections and 297 deaths.

“Generally, we knew when we opened up the economy that we were going to have an increase (in virus infections),” Little said. “We were hopeful that it was going to...