COVID-19 in Montana (Thursday July 16)

GREAT FALLS — Health officials reported 134 new COVID-19 cases across Montana on Thursday morning, according to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map, and one new death.

Governor Steve Bullock announced on Wednesday a statewide directive requiring face coverings/masks in Montana. The directive is effective immediately in counties that have four or more active cases of COVID-19. The directive requires that masks be used in most indoor settings and where social distancing cannot be maintained. Bullock said businesses will have the right to deny entry of anyone not wearing a mask. Click here for details on the directive.

The Cascade County Sheriff's Office has scheduled a news conference on Thursday afternoon, in conjunction with the Great Falls Police Department and the Cascade County Attorney’s Office, to discuss law enforcement's response to the mask order. We will post an update once details are released.

Note: numbers reported by the state each day occasionally differ from those reported by county public health departments due to periodic lag times in reporting data to the state. The numbers below are from the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services on Thursday, July 16th:

• TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: There have now been 2,231 cumulative cases statewide, and 970 people have recovered from the virus.
• HOSPITALIZATIONS: There have been 150 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began; there are currently 37 patients hospitalized.

• ACTIVE CASES: The state reports there are currently 1,226 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.

• TESTING: The number of tests increased by 4,082 over the previous 24-hour reporting period, for a new cumulative state-wide total of 127,840.

• DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths in Montana is now 35. The most recent death occurred in Yellowstone County; two deaths were also reported on Tuesday in Yellowstone County. Three deaths were reported in Yellowstone County on Thursday, July 9th. Big Horn County reported on Thursday, July 2nd, that a woman in her 60s passed away in a hospital due to COVID-19. There have been six deaths in Toole County, four in Yellowstone County, four in Big Horn County, two in Cascade County, and two in Flathead County. The other deaths have been reported in Gallatin, Lincoln, Madison, Ravalli, and Missoula counties. Prior to Thursday, the most recent death was reported on June 26th.

Gallatin County reported 47 new cases, and Yellowstone County added 45 new cases. New cases were also reported in 12 other Montana counties, including three in Cascade County, and the first confirmed case in Blaine County.

NEW CASES AS OF JULY 16