SPOKANE, Wash — When you cross the Washington-Idaho border, it does not take long to notice how differently the two states are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
A nationally published article is now shedding light on how Idaho's relaxed virus regulations are leading to more cases in Washington.
ProPublica reporter David Armstrong found that Idaho's lack of consistency is affecting eastern Washington.
The article reports, Washington is absorbing some of the costs, both human and economic, of Idaho's laxed approach to the virus.
"Washington State has a lot of limits on the ways in which people can gather and socialize and how businesses operate," Armstrong told KREM 2. "And just over the border in Idaho, you have a much different situation where it's very permissive in terms of what can occur. There are some statewide regulations, but it's really dramatic, especially looking at from an outside perspective, the differences. Idaho schools opened and had a full range of sports activities and other school activities as if it was 2019. Washington was almost all remote learning, there's no high school athletics, businesses are much different."
The article said Minnesota and South Dakota and Illinois and Iowa are also neighboring states facing similar inconsistencies.
But of these states, Armstrong said Washington and Idaho show the most impacts.
"Idaho sort of became an escape for Washington residents," he said. "It was basically open for business this summer. If you look at the pictures in Coeur d'Alene and other areas, you know you wouldn't know there was a pandemic."
KREM 2's Amanda Roley asked Armstrong "who is at fault?" The Washington residents going over to Idaho and bringing the virus back over or is it Idaho for having relaxed regulations?
"I think the answer is both things are true," he said.
Armstrong also interviewed Robin Ball in Coeur d'Alene whose ex-husband, Jim Gilliard, died from COVID-19 Oct. 15. The month before her attend the Panhandle Bluesfest in Priest Lake.
ProPublica quoted her saying going to the Idaho Blues Festival likely killed her ex-husband.
Ball said if Idaho's COVID restrictions had been more strict or similar to Washington's he would still be alive today.
"He hadn't been going anywhere for all these months," Ball said. "And Idaho was open, advertising on TV--come to Idaho. Everything is open. Our beaches were packed all summer, downtown was packed all summer, hardly anybody was wearing a mask."
Ball said she believes her ex-husband changed his mind and let his guard down because "Idaho was open."
"I think everybody in the country should be wearing masks, that's my personal opinion," Ball said. "But I also feel that we should be doing the same thing that our neighboring states do and especially with cities that are this close to each other."