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Montana reports 184 Covid-19 cases (Tuesday morning, Mar. 31)

Posted at 7:48 AM, Mar 31, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-31 15:54:01-04

According to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map, Montana confirms 184 cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning at 7:49 am. This number may change due to counties reporting final numbers to the state. (Initial reporting from the State of Montana indicated 185, that number has been adjusted).

Silver Bow County is now at 10 cases.

The previously reported total Monday afternoon was 177.

At this time, there have been 4 deaths in Montana due to Covid-19.

The first death was 77-year old Lincoln County resident Jim Tomlin, whose death was reported on Friday. On Sunday afternoon, public health officials confirmed the death of a Madison County resident who had tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, officials in Toole County confirmed two deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Total Cases by County
Gallatin County - 69 Cases
Yellowstone County - 28 Cases
Missoula County - 12 Cases
Lewis and Clark County - 11 Cases
Flathead County - 11 Cases
Silver Bow County - 10 Cases
Cascade County - 8 Cases
Madison County - 6 Cases
Toole County - 6 Cases
Lincoln County - 5 Cases
Park County - 3 Cases
Deer Lodge County - 3 Cases
Broadwater County - 3 Cases
Lake County - 3 Cases
Jefferson County - 2 Cases
Ravalli County - 1 Cases
Meagher County - 1 Cases
Roosevelt County - 1 Cases
Hill County - 1 Cases

Montana is currently under a "stay at home" order due to the coronavirus pandemic.

QUARANTINE FOR TRAVELERS: On Monday afternoon, Governor Steve Bullock directed that travelers arriving from another state or country to Montana for non-work-related purposes undergo a 14-day self-quarantine. Bullock said the directive applies both to Montana residents and non-residents entering the state for non-work-related purposes. It requires a self-quarantine for 14 days, or the duration of a non-work trip to Montana, whichever is shorter. It also instructs the Montana Department of Commerce to advise vacation listing and rental sites that they must notify potential out-of-state renters about the quarantine requirement. Health care workers are excluded from the directive. In addition, the directive authorizes the Montana National Guard to conduct temperature checks at Montana airports and rail stations and screen for potential exposure history for travelers arriving in Montana from another state or country.

Public health officials know that the number of cases is likely substantially higher than the number of confirmed cases. As of Monday afternoon, the public health laboratory in Helena has completed 4,411 tests.

The "recovery rate" for Montana has not yet been determined, as COVID-19 is still relatively new in our state and there is not enough data to calculate an accurate rate at this point.

  • NOTE: Some confirmed cases are being re-assigned to other counties - for instance, a Glacier County case was re-assigned to Toole County, because the patient was tested and treated in Glacier County (Cut Bank), but actually lives in Toole County. That has happened in several cases. We know that it can be confusing - we are trying to keep things as accurate as possible as the situation changes.

"STAY HOME" ORDER: Governor Steve Bullock on Thursday afternoon issued a directive requiring Montanans to stay home and temporarily closes all nonessential businesses and operations as efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) continue. The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 28. Click here for complete details.

The order will be in effect through Friday, April 10, and requires all businesses and operations in Montana, except for essential businesses and operations as defined in the directive, to stop all activities within the state. The Directive also prohibits all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a household or place of residence.

The order does not prohibit restaurants from continuing to offer take-out, curb-side, and delivery service.

Here's a list of Bozeman-area and Butte-area restaurants offering services.

Employees who are not sure if they are considered essential should talk with their manager/business owner. Business owners with questions can call at 1-800-755-6672 and leave messages 24-hours a day and will receive a prompt response, according to Bullock. *CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE DIRECTIVE*