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Bullock announces Montana will move to Phase II of reopening plan on June 1
As of Tuesday, May 19, Montana reports 471 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 18 active cases, and 16 deaths from the disease. State officials also report that 65 of the cases have resulted in hospitalizations, with 5 patients currently hospitalized, and 437 patients considered recovered.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global threat, in reality, it comes down to communities to implement local mitigation strategies to slow the transmission of the virus. Mitigation is the action of reducing the severity or seriousness of something; in this case, mitigation is done to prevent or minimize catastrophic events caused by COVID-19. Since there are no vaccines or medications available to prevent or treat COVID-19, community mitigation is crucial right now. Montanans have been proactive and taken measures early to slow the transmission, and it shows. The state of Montana has the second-lowest positive number of COVID-19 cases in the US, with only 471 cases, and still zero cases in Carter County.
Community mitigation activities have two main goals, to protect the healthcare and critical infrastructure workers, and to protect highly vulnerable people. Social distancing, minimizing social interaction, reducing non-essential travel, and staying home when sick are a few of the mitigation strategies that communities and Governor Bullock have put into place to slow the transmission of the virus.
On Tuesday, Governor Bullock held a press conference to discuss moving into phase two of his plan to reopen Montana. This directive, which begins on June 1, limits group size to 50 people when social distancing can't be accomplished, rescinds the 14-day self-quarantine for travelers, and increases the occupancy size to 75 percent in bars and restaurants. These are only some of the changes that will take effect on June 1 in Montana. To read Governor Bullock's entire directive, go to https://covid19.mt.gov/joint-information-center.
However, everyone still needs to be personally responsible for continuing mitigation activities such as social distancing, frequent hand washing, and staying home when sick. As Montanans, if we continue mitigation practices, we can expect to continue to see low numbers of positive cases and be able to move seamlessly through all the phases of reopening.
Please call Carter County Public Health with clarifications on the directives or questions on COVID-19 at 406-775-6332.
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