Watch: Central District Health approves Valley County mask mandate, limits on Ada County gatherings

The Central District Board of Health voted at its meeting Tuesday afternoon to implement additional precautionary measures for Ada and Valley counties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board voted 5 to 2 to require everyone in Valley County to wear face masks in indoor and outdoor public places when social distancing cannot be maintained. The order mirrors the mask mandate already in effect in Ada County.

Board member and Valley County Commissioner Elting Hasbrouck noted the thousands of people who travel to Valley County each weekend from Ada and Canyon counties, which have consistently had the most COVID-19 cases over the last few months.

"We are kind of the playground for the two hottest spots in the state right now," Hasbrouck said.

As for the additional restriction for Ada County, gatherings there are now limited to groups of 10 people unless social distancing can be maintained.

The county is currently in Stage 3 of reopening, which limits gatherings to groups of 50 or less. The board's vote on Tuesday modifies that order to lower the gathering limit to 10.

During the discussion on the gathering limit, CDH Director Russ Duke said much of the community spread of the coronavirus in Ada County has been attributed to social gatherings and workplaces, and that reducing group sizes "would be a good step" in slowing the spread of the virus.

"I think it will have a positive impact on driving the cases down to a more acceptable level," Duke said. "Possibly over time, we'll be able to relax the orders. That's the goal."

The board had initially planned to discuss the possibility of closing gyms in Ada County, but last week opted to remove that agenda item after gyms were not "found to be a significant source of transmission to date."