COVID-19 in Montana (Tuesday, April 28)

GREAT FALLS — As of Tuesday morning (April 28), there have been a total of 451 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Montana, an increase of two since Monday.

The two new cases are a Cascade County man in his 50s, and a Yellowstone County man in his 30s. The City-County Health Department in Great Falls said on Monday evening that the most recent case "is a male in his 50s and is associated with travel."

• There have been a total of 356 recovered patients to date. The number of recoveries by county has not been released at this point.
• There have been 15 deaths in Montana to date. There have been six deaths in Toole County, two in Cascade County, two in Flathead County, and one each in Lincoln County, Madison County, Missoula County, Yellowstone County, and Gallatin County.
• There have now been 61 hospitalizations to date of COVID-19 patients in Montana; 10 of those are "active (current) hospitalizations."
• The DPHHS public health lab has completed 13,191 tests for COVID-19, including 158 tests since Monday's update.
• Click here to see the current total of confirmed and active cases by county

PHASED RE-OPENING: Governor Steve Bullock announced last Wednesday a three-phase plan to "re-open" Montana, as closures and restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 will be gradually rescinded. Among the highlights of the plan:

• The "stay at home order" expired on Sunday, April 26, for individuals and Monday, April 27, for businesses. Retail businesses can become operational beginning on April 27 if they can adhere to requirements to limit capacity and maintain strict physical distancing.
• Restaurants, bars, breweries, and distilleries can begin providing some in-establishment services beginning May 4. Click here for more details.
• Businesses where groups gather without the ability to social distance including movie theaters, gyms, and other places of assembly remain closed.
• Places of worship were allowed to re-open on Sunday, April 26 in a manner consistent with social distancing between people who are not members of the same household.
• On May 7, all schools will have the option to return to in-classroom teaching delivery at the discretion of local school boards. Several school districts announced on Monday that they will not re-open classrooms for the remainder of the current school year, including Billings, Bozeman, Glasgow, Butte, and Whitefish.
• Next Monday - May 4th - the Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees will decide whether to continue with school closures or re-open schools for the remainder of the current school year; click here for details.

The above information is just a brief summary of key points; click here for more details of the "Re-opening The Big Sky" plan.

TOOLE COUNTY: Toole County confirmed its sixth COVID-19 death last Wednesday. To date, there have been 29 confirmed cases in Toole County, and 17 patients are now listed as recovered. On a per-capita basis, Toole County has been hit harder than any other county in Montana by the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more.

CASCADE COUNTY: According to the City-County Health Department in Great Falls, there have been two COVID-19 deaths in Cascade County. The most recent was a man over the age of 65 whose death was reported on April 20th. There have been 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cascade County to date; 11 of those cases are now listed as recovered.

THE REBOUND: MONTANA: We know the COVID-19 pandemic is changing our community. To keep you and your family informed as we move forward, we're beginning a new series of reports. They are stories that will help all of us navigate through these uncertain times. In the coming weeks and months, we'll be focusing on “The Rebound: Montana.” It is a series of reports, videos, and information that show our commitment to stories that will help you as our communities begin to rebound - from what you'll need to know when it's time to go back to work, to how those in the community continue to step up and help others.