Flathead County Health officials are urging people to social distance and practice strong hygiene after a recent surge in positive COVID-19 cases.
Flathead County Health Officer Tamlee Robinson says a high number of new cases in the Flathead are being seen in people working in bars and restaurants.
Robinson says a growing trend in Flathead County is positive cases in younger individuals in their 20’s and 30’s.
She says the recent surge stems back to July 4 when some residents weren’t practicing social distancing and proper hand-washing measures.
Robinson says new positive cases are seeing a high number of close contacts needing to be quarantined.
“Prior to this when we would do our investigations our lab-confirmed cases would have maybe 4 or 5 contacts, but because of the nature of the 4th of July and group gatherings, now we’re seeing that some of them have 20 to 25 contacts.”
Robinson says the overwhelming majority of positive cases in Flathead County are from Montana residents, not out-of-state visitors.