CALDWELL, Idaho — City buildings in Caldwell will close again to the public on July 20 after the recent increase of coronavirus cases. Closures will be reevaluated continually based on the public health situation and consultation from the local health district, according to a release from the City of Caldwell.
The following buildings are affected by the closure:
- City Hall
- Caldwell Airport
- Caldwell Public Library
- Caldwell Fire Department
- Caldwell Event Center offices
- Park and Rec offices
- Planning and Zoning
- Engineering, Water, Waste Water Treatment, Cemetery and Street Department offices
The library will maintain curbside pickup and remote services. The Caldwell Senior Center, Caldwell Veteran's Memorial Hall and the Caldwell Police Department will be open with enhanced health precautions. Golf courses will be open, as well as the Caldwell Municipal Pool, parks and playgrounds.
City services will be fully staffed and operational. Department representatives will available to the public via phone or email. City officials feel it is "both prudent and responsible to take the necessary steps to protect the health of our employees and the public, and particularly the most vulnerable members of society."
“I deeply respect our healthcare leaders and healthcare workers. They have been working around the clock to manage COVID-19 cases and to ensure that they are as prepared as possible. While caseloads have been reasonably managed by the health system in our area up to this point, we must remain flexible in our response. The recent increase in case numbers, as well as hospitalizations, means that it is time to take a step backward and pause, and do what we can to contribute to the health and safety of the public,” said Mayor Nancolas. “We must all do our part to help out the community; respect your neighbor, stay home if you are able to and wash your hands often. We strongly encourage wearing a mask in public.”
While a mask mandate is not being thought about by city officials at this time, leaders strongly encourage everyone to take this step to protect others in public areas where social distancing is difficult. You should practice good hand washing and physically distance yourself from others when possible.
“The level of community spread in Caldwell is currently high, or Health Alert Level Red, as indicated by the number of new cases reported daily in addition to other factors such as healthcare capacity over the past two weeks. Due to the current risk for exposure to COVID-19, Southwest District Health supports local businesses and governments in taking steps to protect their employees and patrons by requiring wearing face coverings or masks, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance between non-household members, and staying home when sick or exposed to someone who is sick with COVID-19,” said Southwest District Health Director, Nikki Zogg.
