EIPH to hold special meeting tonight; Jefferson and Fremont may get mandatory mask orders
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IDAHO FALLS — Eastern Idaho Public Health is holding a special meeting Monday evening, which may result in a mandatory mask order in at least two more counties in eastern Idaho.
The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the EIPH building on 1250 Hollipark Drive in Idaho Falls. Twenty-five people will be allowed in the meeting room, provided they follow social distancing protocols and wear a mask. Any person who does not wish to social distance or wear a mask will not be allowed to enter and is invited to observe the meeting through live streaming, according to an EIPH news release.
The meeting will be streamed live online via Zoom. Residents can join the meeting with this link: https://zoom.us/j/99997389205.
EIPH spokeswoman Mimi Taylor says the purpose of the meeting is to discuss orders of restriction in Jefferson and Fremont counties and to amend the Teton County order.
Health board unanimously passes order mandating masks in Bonneville County
If orders of restriction are put in place, Jefferson and Fremont counties will receive a mandatory mask order and limitations on public gatherings. Both counties have seen the number of active cases surge recently and exceed the low-risk threshold on the EIPH COVID-19 Regional Response Plan.
Jefferson County has been above 30 active cases for at least three consecutive days. (They currently have 41 active cases, as of Sunday evening.) Fremont County has been above 13 active cases for the same period. (They have 23 active cases, as of Sunday evening.) The active case thresholds are based on county populations.
If the board votes to move them to moderate risk, they will join Bonneville and Teton counties, which have already been at moderate risk for several weeks. Once in moderate risk, a mask order becomes mandatory countywide, and public gatherings are limited to 150 people. Risk levels are reevaluated every 14 days.
For more information about the EIPH COVID-19 Regional Response Plan click here.