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South Central Public Health District confirms community spread of COVID-19 in Minidoka County

Coronavirus
Posted at 3:35 PM, May 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-15 17:35:33-04

MINIDOKA COUNTY, Idaho — The South Central Public Health District has confirmed community spread of COVID-19 in Minidoka County.

Community spread means at least one person has been infected with the virus, and investigation has not been able to determine how or where they became infected. The district says the person under investigation did not travel out of state and had no identified contact with another person diagnosed with COVID-19.

The district says it's an important reminder to us all to stay vigilant and take the proper precautions to prevent the spread.

"If we jump into this reopening with abandon and don't take the precautions we need to take, we'll likely end up in another stay home order. It's the same thing across the state. We have to continue to act with caution or we'll end up seeing a huge surge in cases again, and we'll be right back where we started," said Brianna Bodily, the district's Public Information Officer.

The district is expecting to see more confirmed cases in the county and urge everyone to assume the virus could be anywhere in the community and surrounding counties.

The district has set up two COVID-19 informational hotlines. One of the hotlines is in English, and the other is in Spanish:

English informational hotline: (208) 737-1138

Línea directa de información de COVID-19 en Español: (208) 737-5965

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also has a 24/7 hotline for anyone feeling overwhelmed, isolated or distressed because of the coronavirus. That hotline number is 888-330-3010.