STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

COVID GRAPH BY PAUL RIES

Rico’s Authentic Italian Pizza appears to have become one of the first casualties of the pandemic in the Ketchum restaurant scene.

Rico Albright confirmed that the restaurant had closed for good as he spent Thursday not making pizzas for the first time in 38 years.

“It came to a shock to all of us close to Rico,” said Warren Benjamin, who helped Albright with marketing during the pandemic.

 “While he had a great summer for business, some costly repairs and limited indoor restaurant capacity due to COVID-19 forced him to call it quits after 38 years,” said Benjamin.

Albright was among those making life a little brighter during the early stages of the pandemic. For every large pizza customers bought, he contributed small pizzas and lasagnas to the Hunger Coalition to give out to its clients.

It was, he said, a win-win for himself and Hunger Coalition clients.

CAN THE EXERCISE DURING COVID

Bad news for the uber athletes in Sun Valley. A recent study published in JAMA Cardiology purports that exercising during COVID could lead to serious heart problems. Like myocarditis.

The study by German doctors suggests refraining from physical activity for at least two weeks after being diagnosed with the virus.

IDAHO’s COVID RATE ONE OF HIGHEST AMONG WESTERN STATES

Idaho has one of the worst coronavirus rates of 11 Western states but one of its best death rates, according to The Idaho Statesman. Idaho was fourth in confirmed cases per capita. And it has the second highest percentage of positive cases.

The Statesman said Idaho is in the middle of the pack in deaths per capita with the third lowest case fatality rate. Arizona’s is the worst, followed by Nevada, New Mexico, California, Colorado, Washington and then Idaho. Wyoming, with the West’s smallest population, has had the fewest cases and fewest deaths per capita.

Idaho’s death rate is 1 in 4,402 population compared with Wyoming’s 1 in 13,780. Its rate of cases is 1 in 56 compared with Wyoming’s 1 in 164.

BOISE GOES YELLOW

Central District Health moved Ada County out of the red alert level to yellow alert this week. That allows schools to resume school in person if they like. And Boise bars will now be allowed to reopen, provided they have stringent coronavirus precautions in place.

In response, West Ada School District announced they will begin to transition to in-person learning on Monday.

HALLOWEEN GOES DARK

Los Angeles County has banned trick or treating due to coronavirus. Health officials said it would be too difficult to maintain social distancing at front doors., according to CNN.

STURGIS SPREADS

Researchers at the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University claim that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have resulted in 266,796 new coronavirus cases—nearly 20 percent of the 1.4 million new cases recorded in the United States between Aug. 2 and Sept. 2.

The event, which took place from Aug. 7 through Aug. 17, attracted a half-million motorcyclists, according to Newsweek. Researchers reached their conclusion by analyzing anonymized cellphone data tracking smartphone pings, then compared changes in coronavirus trends after attendees traveled back to their home states.

The study calculates the total public health costs as a result of the rally to be at least $12.2 billion. That’s enough to have paid each of the attendees $26,553 not to attend, they added

ANOTHER REASON TO WEAR A MASK

The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics say deaths could be reduced to 288,381 by New Year’s Day if 95 percent of people wear masks. Mask usage is currently at 45 percent. If not, deaths could reach between 410,341 and 620,000 deaths—up from the current death toll of 187,000.

BRITS GET SUBSIDIZED RESTAURANT MEALS

The British government is trying to lure people back to restaurants with half-off meals subsidized by her Majesty’s Government three days a week. The government has now covered 64 million meals up to $13. That’s nearly the number of people—67 million—who live in the country, noted the New York Times.

ART BACK

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has reopened to the public five months after the coronavirus forced its closure. But exhibits too small to allow social distancing will remain closed. And valet parking for bicycles will be available to help those who want to avoid mass transit, says the New York Times.