MIDDLETON, Idaho — Editor's note: The above video is a video of a Blaine County doctor who had COVID-19 and encourages people to take the coronavirus precautions seriously.
Though many small towns may seem better off than larger cities as the novel coronavirus spreads, small towns also face the challenge of smaller health care systems, as was seen in McCall city and health officials’ plea that people avoid visiting the popular vacation spot for the time being.
Middleton, a city with about 8,000 residents, faced the outbreak head on when the school district announced its middle school may have been exposed to the new coronavirus from an Ada County resident.
Middleton Mayor Steve Rule said Thursday was the end of the 14-day period since the middle school was in contact with the positive case. He said everyone who could have been exposed has not shown symptoms.
“I was so glad to hear that,” Rule said. “What we did was we just waited and listened and hoped and prayed that those kids didn’t get the virus.”
Rule said Middleton is contained, with a number of places open for residents to get groceries or take-out. Although, he said, there are a lot of people who live in the city and travel outside of it for work.
“I don’t think this virus is selective. It will go where it can,” Rule said.
He said he has deemed city hall an essential service, but is asking residents to conduct any business they can over the phone to eliminate contact.
Rule said he closed the library and has posted signs at the parks warning residents the parks could be a point of COVID-19 contact. He said he has been getting a number of calls from businesses asking if they should shut down. He said he has been referring them to Gov. Brad Little’s guidelines from the statewide stay-at-home order.
Since the possible exposure at Middleton Middle School, the school district has deep cleaned its schools. Students are on spring break this week, but many administrators have continued working, participating in conference calls at the state and regional level, to plan next steps, district spokeswoman Vickie Holbrook said.
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‘PRETTY SMOOTH’
About 20 miles west of Middleton, Parma residents have been quietly social distancing.
Parma Mayor Angie Lee said she has closed the city library, parks and city hall to the public.
“It has been pretty smooth, but we are a lot smaller and don’t have a lot of gathering places,” Lee said.
Lee said Parma has one grocery store and a Family Dollar. She said toilet paper and water are difficult to find there, but “they have been good about restocking.”
She said the grocery store dedicates weekend mornings to elderly shoppers.
“We have had people handing out food boxes,” Lee said. “You can go down (to the grocery store) and get milk, eggs, produce and meat. It is usually not completely out.”
Lee said most people are able to work while social distancing, so there isn’t as much concern with paying bills as there may be in larger cities. She said the only people she has heard of who are out of work are hair salon employees.
“For the them, (the hair salon) is their only income,” Lee said. “That is the only thing I have heard of, that they are going to be severely impacted.”
Parma is a largely agriculture community, and Lee said agriculture-based businesses have been deemed essential.
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