COVID-19 pandemic in Montana

On March 11, the Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, announced that a part-time Montana and part-time Maryland resident tested positive for coronavirus in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The woman in her 70s is a part-time resident of Lake County, and because this was her primary residence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that she would be considered Montana's first case. The woman, however, had not been in Montana since November 2019 and did not come into contact with anyone in Montana. Her being counted as a Montana case is still not officially confirmed, however, as the MDPHHS does not report the case in their official totals.[3]

On March 12, Governor Steve Bullock declared a state of emergency in Montana. Although no cases were confirmed in the state at the time, the emergency declaration helped prepare state and local governments for the future impact the disease would have on Montana.[4]

On March 13, Governor Bullock announced the first four cases of coronavirus that were within the state of Montana. The patients included a Gallatin County man in his 40s who traveled internationally, a Yellowstone County woman in her 50s who traveled internationally, a Silver Bow County man in his 50s who traveled to Washington, and a Broadwater County man in his 50s who also traveled to Washington.[1][5]

Late on March 14, the governor's office announced the confirmation of two more positive cases, both of which are from Missoula County: a woman in her 30s who was identified as the Montana Commissioner of Higher Education and a man in his 50s. The commissioner and the man from Silver Bow County who was confirmed on March 13 were both present at a Board of Regents meeting in Dillon on March 5, where it is believed that the commissioner was exposed.[5]

Mid-day March 15, Governor Bullock issued an executive order that closed all public schools in the state for two weeks beginning March 16 and lasting until March 27. In addition, the governor ordered the suspension of all nursing home visits with the exception of end-of-life situations. Governor Bullock also suggested, but did not ban, the gathering of all groups over 50 people.[6] The Lewis and Clark Library announced that they would close beginning on March 17 until further notice. All overdue were ended and the due date of all books was extended to May 1.[7]

The city of Helena was placed under a 10-day-long state of emergency by Mayor Wilmot Collins on the afternoon of March 16.[8] Governor Bullock announced that two new positive cases had been confirmed in Montana: a Missoula County man and a Yellowstone County woman, both of whom are in their 20s. This announcement increased the total number of cases to 8.[9]

Bishop Austin Vetter of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena announced on March 17 that all public Masses and related gatherings in the diocese would be banned until further notice.[10] During a press conference, Governor Bullock announced an additional case in the state. He also announced that small businesses would be able to apply for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and uninsured Montanans would have the cost of their coronavirus tests covered.[11]

Late March 18, Governor Bullock's office announced two more positive cases in Montana, which increased the cases to 12 in the state. The patients were a Missoula County man in his 50s and a Gallatin County man in his 60s.[12]

On March 20, Governor Bullock announced measures that would close all sit-down and dine-in food services, all alcoholic beverage businesses, casinos, and other businesses that serve groups of people at one time. The closure began at 8:00 p.m. that same day and last until midnight on March 28.[13]

By March 21, the Montana Department of Public Health confirmed an additional 6 cases, bringing the total to 27 cases of coronavirus in the state of Montana. Three additional cases were confirmed in Cascade County on the evening of March 21, bringing the total number of cases to at least 30.[14]

A survey found Montana to be the "least affected" state in the US for COVID-19-related unemployment claims.[15]

On June 1, Montana moved to phase 2 of the state's reopening plan.[16][17]

The three Montana entrances to Yellowstone National Park were opened on June 1, after the south and east (Wyoming) entrances had been opened in mid-May.[18]

Glacier National Park reopened its west gate entrance at West Glacier on June 8.[19]

On April 17, 2020, the governor announced that he is working with a newly appointed COVID-19 task force on a “phased reopening” of Montana. The state must meet three benchmarks to begin the reopening:[23]

• a sustained reduction in new COVID-19 cases for 14 days;
• hospitals must be able to safely treat all patients; and
• Montana must have the capacity to test all people with COVID-19 symptoms.

On April 1, Governor Bullock issued a directive to correctional facilities suspending all new transfers into the Department of Corrections custody to protect prison inmates and staff.[25]

Until April 10, CoreCivic required prison inmates to sign a waiver in order to receive a face mask, which held the company harmless of any claims related to the masks.[26] The Montana Department of Corrections' inmate workers have been producing masks for inmates.

By May 14, two positive COVID-19 cases had been found among inmates in state custody of seven inmates tested.[27] Starting on May 15, 772 additional tests for coronavirus per month were made available to asymptomatic inmates and staff in Montana's prisons and correctional facilities.[28]

On June 4, the Law and Justice Interim Committee asked the director of the Department of Corrections for a timeline for sentinel testing at all prison facilities and plans on how the department would handle an outbreak.[29]