After weeks of thoughtful deliberation with numerous stakeholders, Governor Brad Little announced Idaho will end the public health emergency on April 15, 2022.
Governor Little’s statement on reaching the milestone follows:
“I kept Idaho open, banned vaccine mandates, never issued mandates for vaccines or masks, and successfully challenged Biden’s overreaching vaccine mandates in court.
“The emergency declaration served as an administrative function to recoup FEMA dollars for a variety of needs throughout Idaho. The emergency declaration never violated or restricted any rights of Idahoans, never put Idaho on lockdown, and never allowed for mandates for masks or vaccines. These are the facts.
“Without the emergency declaration we would not be able to provide historic tax relief, a step that’s even more important now as gas prices and inflation soar. Without the emergency declaration, Idaho would not be the state with the strongest economy in the nation.
“We’re hopeful the recent decrease in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths means we are on a downward trend with the pandemic. For weeks, we have been closely examining the needs within Idaho’s healthcare system with an eye toward ending the public health emergency declaration as soon as possible. The April 15 timeframe provides an important bridge for hospitals and other healthcare providers to plan for the transition.
“I want to thank Idahoans, especially our medical community, first responders, public health officials, and National Guard volunteers for helping us reach this positive milestone.â€
Every single state had a public health emergency declaration in place, and dozens still do. FEMA covered $257 million in costs since March of 2020 that would otherwise have been covered by the Idaho state budget or local governments.
That means without the emergency declaration, the State of Idaho would not be able to provide Idahoans with historic tax relief and unprecedented strategic investments to keep up with growth. Only the Governor can lawfully end an emergency declaration.
For weeks, the Governor’s Office has been coordinating with stakeholders to minimize impacts and ensure hospitals and others are prepared for the expiration of the emergency declaration on April 15. Idaho still maintains a fund to respond to COVID-19 if needs change. ■