Idaho bill appears to eliminate coronavirus as an emergency

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Legislation defining pandemics that would appear to eliminate the coronavirus pandemic from qualifying as an emergency in Idaho is going to the House.

The House State Affairs Committee approved the measure on Monday that changes a section of Idaho’s State Disaster Preparedness Act by including for the first time epidemics and pandemics.

The proposed law lists the minimum death rate for pandemics to be an emergency at 1.5%.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare numbers show a coronavirus death rate of about 1% with about 1,800 dead.

Johns Hopkins University lists the United State's overall coronavirus death rate at 1.8%, with nearly 500,000 recorded fatalities.