COVID-19 FAQs

The purpose of the Governor’s April 15 Order is to continue the effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus by limiting person-to-person contact in public places. The Order requires all individuals, anywhere in the State of Idaho, to self-isolate – in other words, to stay home. This applies to everyone, except for people undertaking essential activities and people with jobs supporting essential services. Businesses that can offer curbside delivery of nonessential goods may also be open.

The updates included in the April 15 Order are:
1. Businesses, including “nonessential” businesses, may offer curbside delivery of goods (even nonessential goods).
2. Travel into Idaho is restricted; persons who are exhibiting symptoms of, or have tested positive for, COVID-19 may not enter the state, and others entering from out of state must self-quarantine for 14 days.
3. “Minimum basic operations” for which a business may open to employees includes activities necessary to reopen in accordance with social distancing, sanitation, and other protective procedures.
4. The self-isolation period is extended through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

The April 15 Order does require several Meridian businesses to remain closed to the public while the order is in effect. Bars, restaurants, and stores may offer curbside takeout. Essential businesses and services may continue to operate as usual, but must follow social distancing and sanitation practices. Places of worship must also close, and weddings must be canceled. Funerals may only be held outdoors.

Essential services are jobs that need to continue normally, even during the COVID-19 outbreak, so that people in self-isolation can have what they need in terms of food, medicine, healthcare, supplies, etc., and jobs that maintain social and economic function and security at local, state, and national levels.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), in response to Presidential Policy Directive 21, has identified 16 categories of critical infrastructure. On March 19, 2020, DHS’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency issued a document entitled Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in COVID-19 Response, including a list of professions that support our community’s essential services. Click HERE to read the document (the list begins on page 5).

Essential services include those listed in the DHS Guidance, as well as those listed in the Governor’s April 15 Order.

Under the Governor’s April 15 Order, you can leave your home only for these reasons:

• To engage in activities or perform tasks essential to your health and safety, or to the health and safety of your family, household members, pets, livestock, and/or the health and safety of other vulnerable persons. (Examples: obtaining medical supplies or medication, visiting a healthcare professional, or obtaining supplies needed to work from home.)

• To obtain necessary services or supplies for yourself or your family or household members, or to deliver services or supplies to others. (Examples: obtaining or delivering food, pet or livestock feed or supplies, household consumer products, and products necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of your residence.)

• To recreate outdoors near your home – but you must follow the social distancing requirements set forth in the Order: Do not congregate in a group of any number. Each individual must maintain 6 feet of distance from other people. (It is fine to be within 6 feet of the members of your own household.)

• To perform work providing minimum basic operations for your job. (Examples: minimum necessary activities to maintain the value of the business’s inventory, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, and related functions; and the minimum necessary activities to facilitate employees of the business who are working remotely.)

If you do leave your home, for any reason, including to obtain or provide essential services, you are required to follow the social distancing requirements set forth in the Order: People may not congregate in a group of any number. Each individual must maintain 6 feet of distance from other people. (Being within 6 feet of the members of your own household is allowed.)

Yes. Transporting, dropping off, or picking up children in order to comply with a child custody agreement or order is allowed during the self-isolation period. The April 15 Order does not affect a party’s obligation to comply with a child custody agreement or order.

Businesses and venues that are open, either to employees or to the public, must comply with the April 15 Order by implementing the following social distancing practices, and doing all that is feasible to allow employees and patrons to follow them:

• Persons who are exhibiting symptoms of, or have tested positive for, COVID-19 may not leave their homes, except to seek medical care.

• People may not congregate in a group of any number. Each individual must maintain 6 feet of distance from other people. (Being within 6 feet of the members of your own household is allowed.)

• Heightened sanitation and personal hygiene practices, especially handwashing, is encouraged.

The Centers for Disease Control also recommends wearing a cloth face covering in public in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you wear a cloth face covering, it will not necessarily protect you from the virus, but it may help keep you from spreading it to others. Some people who have COVID-19 may feel fine and not have any symptoms.

The City’s goal is education of individuals and proprietors regarding best practices to minimize risk of spreading COVID-19, as established by the CDC and the President of the United States. However, those who do not comply with the Order may be subject to misdemeanor charges. A violation or failure to comply with the Order is a misdemeanor offense under Idaho Code section 56-1003(7)(c).

The following businesses may operate as usual, except that social distancing and sanitation measures must be implemented, as feasible.

These lists are not comprehensive. For more information, please review:

• April 15 Governor’s Order
• Governor’s Office List of Essential Services
• Governor’s Office FAQs and Additional Guidance
• Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in COVID-19 Response¸ issued on March 19, 2020, by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.

Even where the March 25 Governor’s Order does not apply, or where employees are working on site, all premises are encouraged to observe social distancing, cleanliness, sanitation, and face covering protocols, as advised by the CDC, as much as is feasible.

Some activity at golf courses is allowed and some is not allowed. Under the Governor’s April 15 Order, people can recreate outdoors, with their own household members, following social distancing protocols as to non-household members. Playing golf is allowed as outdoor recreation. Restaurant and bar carry-out and delivery is allowed. Pro shops must remain closed to the public but may offer curbside delivery of retail goods. Dining areas, event spaces, meeting rooms, and other indoor areas must remain closed. Contact between clubhouse staff and players to make reservations, check in, etc. must occur on the phone, online, or by other means that do not involve person-to-person contact.

While they both spread person to person in the same manner, by droplets transmitted through a cough or sneeze, there are significant differences between influenza (common flu) and COVID-19:

• Common flu is most contagious 3-4 days after symptoms begin; COVID-19 is contagious 2-14 days before symptoms begin, meaning that it can be transmitted by both those who have symptoms and those who show no symptoms. This means infected individuals who feel just fine could be spreading the virus.

• There are vaccines, treatments, and medical equipment available to treat the common flu; there are no vaccines currently available to prevent COVID-19 infected individuals, there is no medicine available to treat COVID-19, and whether adequate medical equipment will be available to address the symptoms of those infected with COVID-19 depends largely on the success of preventative efforts.

• Pneumonia resulting from common flu is bacterial, and can be treated with antibiotics; pneumonia resulting from COVID-19 is viral and can only be treated by ventilators. Our medical system may not have enough ventilators to treat the anticipated numbers of COVID-19 patients if it spreads at the rate we have seen in other countries. Hospitalization is more likely for COVID-19 individuals than those with common flu.

• Common flu has been in our society for several years and we know a lot about its symptoms, treatment, and effects. COVID-19 is a novel virus, which means that minimal data exists.

Because of these differences, it is important to do what we can to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 to vulnerable persons, and to delay the spread of COVID-19 within our community in order to avoid overwhelming our medical system.