On Monday, Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman blasted Central District Health’s decision to move Ada County back to stage 3 in the reopening process. Hoffman criticized the move as unwise and harmful to small businesses.

Said Hoffman: 

“These so-called health experts keep moving the goalposts. At the onset of the Coronavirus, these experts told Idahoans to stay home to bend the curve so as not to overwhelm hospitals. Now, it looks like the goal is to have next to no infections. Idaho hospitals have plenty of capacity to handle Coronavirus cases. This decision to order the shutdown of businesses after they just opened is irresponsible, outrageous, and unconscionable.”

Hoffman added:

“Hospitals aren’t full and our healthcare system is more than able to handle potential Coronavirus patients. This is nothing more than fear-mongering at its worst, at the expense of hardworking Idahoans.” 

According to CovidActNow.org, Coronavirus patients occupy a mere 12% of Idaho’s ICU beds. Non-covid patients occupy 32% of all available ICU beds, leaving 56% of the state’s ICU beds available as of June 19, 2020. Overall, Coronavirus hospitalization rates are trending downward, too.