|
STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK GRAPH BY PAUL RIES Middle and high school students will return to the classroom four days a week beginning Monday, March 8. The move affects students at Wood River Middle and Wood River High School, Silver Creek High School and Carey Secondary School.
|
|
Idaho reported 286 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday for a total of 168,639. Nine more Idahoans have died of COVID for a total of 1,826. To date 124,281 Idahoans have received at least one dose of vaccine; 76,519 have received both.
|
|
|
The Blaine County School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to resume in-class learning for all district schools. Students and staff will continue to wear masks and will be encouraged to wash hands frequently during the day. Elementary school students returned to four-day in-person learning two weeks ago. For the time being, Fridays will be reserved for intervention. Teachers will use the days to work with quarantined students and engage in teacher collaboration. If community transmission rates and quarantine numbers drop consistently, the board will consider moving ahead with classroom learning five days a week. If they increase significantly, the district could return to a hybrid model.
|
|
Blaine County recorded five new cases of COVID on Thursday for a total of 2,135. To date 4,585 Blaine County residents have received at least one dose of vaccine; 1,116 have received two.
|
|
|
The move comes with Blaine County’s new coronavirus cases on a downward trend. The county has had a few days of single-digit increases after weeks of double-digit days. But the county’s risk assessment remains critical by Harvard Global Health Institute standards, given data from Feb. 7-13. The good news: COVID is having minimal impact on the capacity of St. Luke’s Wood River and regional hospitals to treat patients. The county averaged 44.1 new cases per 100,000 during Feb. 7-13. That’s down from 56.5 new cases per 100,000 the week before.
Its test positivity rate was 7.22, down from 13.65 percent. That means fewer people who are getting tested actually have COVID. Eighteen people between 30 and 39 years of age tested positive between Feb. 7 and 13 and sixteen between 18 and 29. Eleven people between 50 and 59 tested positive; ten between 40 and 49; five, 70 and older and four each between 60 and 69 and 5 and 10. Two 14- to 17-year-olds tested positive and one between the ages of 0 and 4. No 5- to 10-year-olds tested positive.
|