Idaho AG: Gov. Little’s say-at-home order legal, clearly defined by law

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The Idaho Attorney General’s Office says Governor Brad Little’s stay-at-home order to limit the spread of the coronavirus is legal and clearly defined by law. Attorney General Lawrence Wasden says the governor’s power to assert such an order is found within Idaho code. Little issued the 21-day order on March 25th. Some conservative lawmakers and a northern Idaho sheriff had questioned Little’s authority to do that, contending it violated the U.S. Constitution. Wasden says the law in that area is clearly defined. Idaho has 11-hundred confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths, though only 24 new cases were announced statewide Sunday, the third consecutive day the number of reported cases in the Gem State had fallen. Despite evidence that social distancing has proven effective in fighting the spread of COVID-19, Republican Representative Heather Scott, of Blanchard, used her official government newsletter to urge constituents to defy Little’s order to stay home in face of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the government doesn’t have the right to force businesses to close or stop people from attending church. Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler wrote an open letter to Little last week, asking him to reconvene the Legislature to discuss the stay-home order. Wheeler contends the public was misled by some Idaho health officials. (AP)