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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — New data shows a recent spike in coronavirus cases has hit Latinos in rural Idaho, an already disproportionately affected community that makes up a third of the state’s cases where the race is known. The Idaho Statesman reported that data collected from all seven Idaho public health districts has shown a majority of the people who have contracted the coronavirus in multiple Magic Valley counties are Latino. Lincoln County had the highest percentage in the Magic Valley region, with Latinos making up 78% of the county’s 33 COVID-19 cases. The data says outbreaks in food processing plants may be driving the increasing cases.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A southwestern Idaho newspaper says it will file a lawsuit against the state Department of Health and Welfare if the agency doesn't turn over the names of long-term care facilities in the state with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff. The Idaho Statesman on Friday, through its attorney, sent a letter to the agency contending the information should be made available under Idaho's Public Records Act. The newspaper requested the information in a public records request earlier this month. But the agency denied the request, saying it failed to meet the requirements of the public records law.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A dead Asian giant hornet has been found in Washington state, and officials said Friday they are trying to learn if the insects have established colonies. The Washington state Department of Agriculture said it was the first confirmed sighting of an Asian giant hornet in Washington this year. The Asian giant hornet is the world’s largest hornet and a predator of honey bees and other insects. A small group of Asian giant hornets can kill an entire honey bee hive in a matter of hours. The hornets are known as Murder Hornets in Japan, a name that Washington state officials frown upon.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington's COVID-19 stay-at-home order will expire Sunday night, and the state's counties will have more flexibility to apply to advance through the current four-phase reopening plan using updated benchmarks that some larger counties had been seeking. Most counties are already approved for Phase 2, which allows restaurants and taverns to reopen at half capacity with limited table sizes, hair and nail salons and barber shops to resume business, and for retail stores to reopen for in-store purchases at 30% capacity. Under the guidelines issued Friday, any county can apply, and the application will be assessed on several targets, including whether they’ve had fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period.
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