Idaho will use $2 million in federal CARES Act coronavirus aid to pay for the deployment of 100 Idaho National Guard troops to active duty for COVID-19 response.
Gov. Brad Little’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee unanimously approved the allocation on Tuesday after a brief virtual meeting.
The Idaho Press reports it will cover salaries, equipment, expenses, and more for the 100 Guard members for the 30-day period.
The National Guard members will be deployed to help Idaho hospitals and long-term care facilities that are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, taking on tasks including decontaminating buildings and carrying out COVID-19 screenings, which will free up medical personnel at those facilities to provide patient care.
Little ordered the deployment on Friday, as he moved the state back to a modified Stage 2 of his four-stage reopening plan for the pandemic amid a swell in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
