BY KAREN BOSSICK

The first case of coronavirus in Blaine County was announced Saturday afternoon.

In response, Blaine County School District board Chairman Keith Roark and Superintendent Dr. GwenCarol Holmes announced schools and facilities would be closed to the public beginning Monday, March 16, and extending through Sunday, April 5.

The Hailey woman in her 50s didn’t require hospitalization and has been recovering at home.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether she was exposed to the virus in the Wood River Valley or whether she got it while traveling. They’re also trying to determine whom she might have come in contact since.

Public health officials will contact anyone she has had contact with as soon as they make those determinations, said Carissa Martin, a nurse with the South Central District Health Department. The woman is self-isolating at home right now.

“We don’t see as of right now any risk to exposure to the community,” Martin added. The biggest thing is trying to refrain from public gatherings where there’s a lot of people, using good handwashing practices, keeping yourself well if you’re sick, staying home if you’re sick. That’s the biggest thing that the community can focus on right now.”