Boise lifts mask mandate, gathering limit. ‘I can’t wait to see smiling faces,’ mayor says

After nearly a year of being covered up, Boise is lifting its mask mandate.

Residents will no longer be required to wear masks in indoor or outdoor public spaces, and the city is lifting its restrictions on crowd sizes.

The move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new recommendations on Thursday that it is safe for fully vaccinated people to go maskless in most indoor and outdoor settings.

While Idaho has never had a mask mandate, state health officials and Gov. Brad Little have strongly recommended indoor mask use for months, citing its proven effects in reducing transmission.

Boise first required the wearing of masks in July 2020 and until now was requiring gatherings of 50 or more people to submit plans to the local health authority, Central District Health. The CDC’s new guidance still recommends that masks be worn in transportation and health care settings, and by unvaccinated people — of which Idaho has many.

Though the requirement has been lifted, individual restaurants and stores still can require masks, and the guidelines may change as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

“Businesses can still require masks and social distancing, it’s their own decision to make,” Mayor Lauren McLean said in a video released Friday. “We’re asking Boiseans to respect and honor these requests.”

City facilities, the mayor noted, still require masks, though those policies are under review.

“It is incredible to know that getting a free, readily available vaccine is all that stands between most Boise residents and a post-COVID world,” McLean said in a news release. “I can’t wait to see smiling faces. We’ve all worked so hard to get here, and I’m thrilled to celebrate this summer with all of you.”

In the 24 hours since the CDC’s announcement on Thursday, state and local governments have been scrambling to review their policies. Many epidemiologists were surprised by the CDC’s decision, expecting that the slowing rate of vaccinations nationwide would mean mask wearing for at least several more months, The New York Times reported.

In Idaho, only 35% of the state’s total population has been fully or partially vaccinated, meaning that most of the population is still potentially vulnerable to transmission. And there is no way of knowing who is vaccinated.

Central District Health, which has jurisdiction over Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties, has the highest rate of vaccination in the state, with 43% of the population as least partially vaccinated.

“I want to encourage everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” McLean said. “It’s our best and quickest way out of this pandemic.”

Public health experts are still relying on vaccinating as many Americans as possible as the surest route to fully return to normal. In a study of health care workers across 25 states released Thursday, the CDC found that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — both of which require two doses — are 94% effective at reducing the risk of COVID-19 illness.

Some retailers, including Target, Fred Meyer, Starbucks, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger, the owner of the Fred Meyer chain, are keeping their mask requirements in place, at least for now. All have stores in the Treasure Valley.

Trader Joe’s, which has stores in Boise and Meridian, on Friday became the first major store chain to stop requiring face masks while shopping, but only for vaccinated people. Its employees will still be required to wear masks.

Walmart and Costco announced Friday that they will drop mask requirements.

An Albertsons Cos. spokesperson could not be reached. A sign requiring masks to enter the store at 16th and State streets in Boise was still posted Friday afternoon. On Saturday, Home Depot in Boise still had signs telling customers to wear masks inside the store.

Boise State University, which still has indoor mask requirements and has been limiting crowd sizes at its events, is currently “evaluating the new guidelines” and plans to make an announcement next week, according to Mike Sharp, a BSU spokesperson.

ExtraMile Arena on the BSU campus will be hosting graduations for several Boise high schools later this month, and students are currently limited to bringing four guests, according to Dan Hollar, a spokesman for the Boise School District.

Local restaurants and breweries will be making their own decisions in the next few days. Lost Grove Brewing, at 1026 S. La Pointe St. in the Lusk District, is still considering what to do.

“We’re deciding as a team how we feel most comfortable, but we haven’t come to a decision yet,” taproom manager Mindy Hoskins said by phone.

Thomas Robinson, a district manager for the Chuck-a-Rama chain, which has a restaurant at 7901 W. Overland Road, said he had not heard of Boise lifting its mask mandate when contacted by a reporter Friday afternoon. He said he and other corporate officers in the Salt Lake City-based company will decide how to proceed.

“Regardless of what we do for the customers, we will most likely have employees still wear masks,” Robinson said by phone.

On Saturday, Bacon chef and owner John Berryhill took down the signs that said customers had to wear masks to enter the restaurant.

“So this was the first day for no masking and it was extremely busy, but there were a lot of people who were still masking,” Berryhill said by phone. “I talked with several people in line and told them what we’re doing, but they kept their masks on.

Bacon was one of the first Boise restaurants to require masks. Berryhill instituted the rule last June, after returning from Arkansas to care for his dying father. Arkansas required all restaurant workers and diners to mask up. McLean didn’t issue an emergency order mandating mask use until July 4.

Berryhill says he still has concerns about whether dropping the mask requirement could lead to an increase in COVID-19 infections.

“My concern is whether it’s going to amp up a party,” he said. “It seemed like it was doing that last night, it seemed like there was a lot of action downtown.”