Protesters surrounded the homes and offices of Idaho health officials on Tuesday night, prompting the postponement of a meeting that would discuss health measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Boise police and Mayor Lauren McLean urged the meeting to take place at a later date over safety concerns. At least three Central District Health board members were met with protesters outside of their homes. Other demonstrators gathered outside of the Central District Health offices.
“I am deeply disturbed by what I saw. People at that meeting cheered. They were glad that I shut it down,” McLean said during a council meeting, according to Idaho News 6.
Dr. Ted Epperly, a board member, told the Idaho Statesman that 15 people gathered outside his residence “beating garbage cans and flashing strobe lights through my windows. Two came up, knocked on my door during the meeting.”
Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo tearfully interjected the meeting as it was taking place, saying she had to rush home to go to her son, who was home alone when protesters gathered outside.
Boise police said one person was arrested on charges of trespassing after she refused to leave the Central District Health building, disregarding Central District Health rules. The trespasser, a 53-year-old woman, is now in custody at Ada County Jail.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little, who tweeted there’s “no place for this behavior” in the state, has left public health guidelines largely up to local officials, resisting a statewide mask mandate and other measures to help control the pandemic.
Among the rules that would be put in place in the drafted order include the closures of bar-top seating and dance floors, though bars and restaurants can stay open with social distancing guidelines. Sports and extracurricular activities can continue if all audience and crowd members wear masks, and visits to long-term care facilities would undergo strict regulations, such as visitor screenings for COVID-19 symptoms.
About 300 homemade signs were placed outside of the Central District Health lawn in support of the order. Residents gave officials signs that read “trust science” and “respect nurses and doctors,” among other slogans expressing support for those helping address the pandemic.
Idaho’s seven-day moving average has been hitting record numbers, increasing by 84.6% since Nov. 1.
The state has had 114,000 cases and over 1,000 deaths due to the coronavirus. State and local officials across the country have been introducing public health guidelines as coronavirus cases, deaths, and hospitalizations remain on the rise.
