Health district warns of possible coronavirus exposure at downtown Boise bars

BOISE, Idaho — Health officials are investigating after a group of people who visited Boise bars last weekend tested positive for COVID-19.

According to Central District Health, five people who visited the bars on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 have tested positive for COVID-19. Five others are considered probable cases.

CDH has identified multiple bars in the area of 6th and Main streets in downtown Boise that the infected people visited Friday and Saturday:

The risk of exposure to patrons is unknown, so CDH is recommending that anyone who was at any of these bars or spent time in the area of 6th and Main during the evening hours on June 5 and 6 monitor themselves through June 20 for any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, sore throat or new loss of taste or smell.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure. If you experience any COVID-like symptoms, you’re urged to contact your healthcare provider.

The health district said epidemiologists are continuing their investigation which includes specific contact tracing for this illness cluster.

“As Idaho continues to reopen, illness clusters like this one are a reminder that COVID-19 is still very present in our communities,” CDH Director Russ Duke said in a statement. “It is especially important that we find our new normal, which needs to include wearing face coverings especially in situations where sufficient physical distancing isn’t possible, and continuing to look for ways to limit face-to-face exposure. Any interaction with others, particularly in close contact, puts us at greater risk for becoming infected with coronavirus.”

CDH also recommends that anyone who feels sick, even if the symptoms are mild, to stay home.

“Given community transmission in many of our counties, everyone should be continuously monitoring themselves, children, and elderly for changes in health and potential symptoms,” Duke said.