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- By Native News Online Staff
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — A religious revival at an Idaho Falls Church may have put some tribal citizens on the Fort Hall Reservation at risk for COVID-19.
At least 30 people who attended the revival, which took place at the Potter’s House Christian Center during the May 17-23 timeframe, tested positive or exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. All of the people who have tested positive so far live off of the Fort Hall Reservation in either Idaho Falls or Pocatello, according to a post on the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe’s Facebook page.
Still, the tribe is urging caution for its members.
Dr. Lori Snidow of the Indian Health Service wrote in the Facebook post: “If you attended that gathering or you are in close contact with someone who did, please call the Fort Hall IHS COVID-19 hotline at 208-238-5494 or the Shoshone-Bannock Community Health Center at 208-478-3987 for possible testing.”
Religious gatherings in Idaho were allowed to resume beginning May 1 under Gov. Brad Little’s plan to reopen the state.
Eastern Idaho has seen a spike in cases over the past week, according to a report in the East Idaho News. As of Tuesday, there were 167 confirmed or probably cases in Eastern Idaho, according to local health department statistics cited in the story.
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