Health and Welfare stay-home compliance form gets backlash from Idaho legislators
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IDAHO FALLS — A form posted on Idaho’s coronavirus website caused an outcry on social media Wednesday.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare posted a form on the coronavirus.idaho.gov webpage where people could inform the department about businesses violating the statewide stay-home order.
The order calls for the end of all “nonessential gatherings of any number of individuals” and “nonessential travel.” Violating the order could result in being charged with a misdemeanor.
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The purpose of the form was to allow Idaho residents to “to express concerns about a business or entity’s compliance with the statewide stay-home order.” The form included space to post the business’s name and address.
It caught the attention of several Idaho legislators who were not happy about it.
“There’s a lot of fear out there that the state is encouraging people to tell on their neighbors,” Rep. Chad Christensen, R-Ammon, told EastIdahoNews.com
Christensen posted the form on his Facebook page saying he had sent an email to Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen.
“This stay-at-home order is already constitutionally controversial. I think this definitely compounds fear and anger,” Christensen wrote.
Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, sent a mass email out to her supporters bemoaning the form and the measures the state has taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“This path chosen by Idaho’s Executive Branch is unconstitutional, un-American, and NOT the Idaho way. Yes, there is a real illness attacking our state, country, and world. But it is up to each of us to be responsible for our actions and behavior and take precautions to keep ourselves safe,” Scott wrote.
Following the public outcry, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokeswoman Nikki Forbing-Orr told EastIdahoNews.com the form was taken down and will not be reposted.
“It was an effort to handle the large number of complaints coming from the public about others who were not following Gov. Brad Little’s stay-home order,” Forbing-Orr said.
IDHW, Idaho’s public health districts, law enforcement and the media have all been bombarded during the last week and a half with people reporting businesses or individuals who are violating Little’s order.
Several law enforcement agencies, including the Idaho Falls and Pocatello police departments, say they have been forwarding many of the complaints to the public health districts.
Eastern Idaho Public Health District spokeswoman Mimi Taylor said when someone names a business, she calls the establishment and tries to educate them and ask for their compliance.
Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei said his department sometimes works directly with the health districts to help educate those businesses about the order.
“If there continue to be problems, (Southeastern Idaho Public Health) can call us, and we can go out with them and we could provide some further education or discussion with them. If we have to, in the worst-case scenario, these are only for the most egregious cases … we issue a citation,” Schei said.
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So far, it doesn’t appear that anyone has been cited for violating the order.
Christensen said he agrees complying with the order is important but says submitting names through the internet isn’t the way to go. He also says he wasn’t aware that the form had been created to handle the volume of complaints from the public.
“Let’s just get through this, and let’s not tell on each other,” Christensen said.
Forbing-Orr said those with questions about the order should call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-888-330-3010.