ALERT: Masks Required in Ada County. Other Counties May Follow.

If you live in the Central District Health Region be advised that residents of Ada County are now required to wear face coverings in indoor and outdoor public places effective immediately. For more information and specifics on the new ordinance, please visit the Central District Health website for more details.

• Click here to preview the initial draft order.
  ​

Many Idaho cities outside of Ada County (McCall, Moscow, Ketchum, Hailey, and Driggs) saw ordinances go into effect requiring masks as well. Each has both similarities and nuanced differences. We strongly suggest you review your cities website to understand the requirements in your community.  

We issued some guidance last week specific to cities with the ordinances in place, and in the coming weeks we anticipate more cities and/or counties following suit. Here’s a quick round up of information and guidance that you, our nonprofit friends, can use.

• For us, we treat all common areas inside and outside of our building to be public spaces. For clarification, you should contact your local officials for guidance. However, wearing a mask everywhere you go is the kind and the right thing to do to protect others.  
  
  
• Here at the Idaho Nonprofit Center, our team continues to work remotely and plan to do so for the indefinite future. We strongly encourage all nonprofit employers to continue to allow employees to remotely work if there is no compelling reason to return to the office. You can read our return to work policy if that is helpful to you. We are also requiring masks if any of our staff are in the office together, as the health and safety of our staff and their families are of utmost importance.
  
  
• If you are planning to host meetings or events with no more than 50 people, your local health district will be able to provide guidance on how to host them safely, here’s an example from our Central District Health office in our region. 
  
  
• If you need access to PPE for your office, remember there is a resourcethrough the state of Idaho, and for nonprofits without the budget to pay for it, there’s a resource to acquire PPE for free.
  
  
• Please also join the Idaho Nonprofit Center and other nonprofits and businesses and sign the One Idaho pledge.
  ​
  

We must do all we can to protect our friends and neighbors. Remember that wearing a mask is the kind and neighborly thing to do. The scariest part of the virus is the rapid transmission from asymptomatic people. You may not have symptoms but have the virus. Wearing a mask helps ensure you are not unknowingly spreading the virus.

Stay safe, stay happy, and healthy!