BOISE — Gov. Brad Little announced Friday the formation of a COVID-19 testing task force made up of public and private health care experts and agencies; the task force will aim to create a testing strategy for Idaho as the state moves toward reopening its economy.

“The staged reopening of our economy can only occur with a combination of efforts, and expanded and targeted testing is a big part of our strategy,” Little said in a press release. “We are on the verge of seeing testing capacity significantly open up in Idaho and elsewhere. Our new Testing Task Force will set criteria for when and how frequently someone should be tested and how to move toward a common reporting platform across the state.”

The Testing Task Force met for the first time Thursday, according to the release. The task force is co-chaired by Dr. Jim Souza, the chief medical officer for St. Luke’s Health System and Dr. Christopher Ball, director of the Idaho Bureau of Laboratories.

“We know that testing capabilities have been limited in too many areas and we are glad for the increasing capacity that is coming online in multiple areas,” Souza said in the release. “We know we need to reopen our economy based upon sound principles that allow progress while maintaining safety. Testing will be a key tool to inform these decisions. The task force will provide recommendations that serve to inform the most effective reopening actions.”

The group will inform the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the Governor’s Coronavirus Working Group, health care and laboratory entities and businesses on statewide testing for COVID-19.

In particular, the group is immediately focusing on improvements in the following areas:

Safe and efficient screening and testing sites for symptomatic individuals, including those with mild symptoms.

Screening and testing locations in all regions of the state, including places that serve older individuals, rural and lower income populations, and racial and ethnic minorities.

Robust COVID-19 testing programs for at-risk health care workers.

The work of the task force ties into the state’s ability to meet the criteria in order to progress through the four stages of reopening that Little outlined Thursday. Information is available at rebound.idaho.gov.