Idaho Governor Brad Little made an appeal Tuesday to Idaho residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
His request comes during a dramatic increase in positive cases.
In an address Tuesday, Governor Little said he wanted to ensure there would be no interruptions to classes in the upcoming school year.
“We need more Idahoans to choose to receive the vaccine if our kids have a chance at a normal school year, one that is entirely in person, without outbreaks and quarantine.”
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppeson says the CDC is recommending masking of all students when classes resume, both those who are vaccinated and those who are not:
“Obviously it will be up to school boards and school districts to make their own determination. We actually have convened a back-to-school task force that will be issuing some recommendations in the next couple of weeks to hopefully give some guidance to those school districts and school boards as they consider how they want to approach this fall.”
Idaho health officials reported Tuesday that the state-wide 7-day average of cases is now at 18.5 per hundred thousand.