As of Friday, June 19, 2020, Montana reports 666 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with eleven new cases reported in the last day: three in Yellowstone County, two each in Gallatin, Lewis & Clark, and Rosebud Counties, and one new case in each of Custer and Carbon Counties. Statewide, 82 people have been hospitalized, and nine people are currently being treated in the hospital for COVID-19. Gallatin County has had 197 cases so far. 546 people have recovered from the disease in Montana.

Montana reported the most new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in a single day since late March as the number of infections in the state continues to trend back up. The reports Thursday of 25 new confirmed cases came from every region of the state. They included cases in Richland County in the northeast, Big Horn County in the southeast, Gallatin County in the southwest and Flathead County in the northwest.

As out-of-town visitors return to Whitefish, a vacation destination in northwest Montana, there is a new campaign that aims to promote responsible tourism. The new campaign, “Clean, Careful, Connected,” reminds visitors and businesses to practice frequent handwashing, comply with 6-feet social distancing, wear a cloth mask when in large groups, and remain connected by staying up to date on new information on the web.

In southwest Montana, in Yellowstone National Park, another two tourists have violated park rules and damaged a natural feature. Two women from Philadelphia left a park boardwalk and path and walked into an environmentally sensitive area, damaging orange bacterial mats at Opal Pool in the Midway Geyser Basin on June 11. Witnesses tried to stop the women. Several witnesses took pictures of them walking in the thermal feature, which were provided to park rangers, who were able to use that information to assist in positively identifying the two. The women have been sentenced to two days in jail, $450 each in fines, and A judge in Wyoming also banned them from Yellowstone National Park for two years.

Bar patrons not social distancing account for the majority of new COVID-19 cases in a Wyoming county. The recent spike in coronavirus cases in Uinta County, Wyoming, is in large part attributable to patrons of at least one bar there not practicing social distancing. The number of cases spiked from just nine cases on June 1 to 87 just a week later. That’s the most active cases anywhere in the state of Wyoming. The majority of these new cases have spread outward from at least one bar where young adults gathered and did not practice social distancing. Those exposed to the virus at that gathering then spread it elsewhere, as has happened in other outbreaks, like those in Alabama and California, tied to Memorial Day gatherings. Uinta County health officials posted to their Facebook page Monday saying that they had been “overwhelmed” by the spike. The majority of the new cases are in people aged 20-29.

As states reopen amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many are documenting still-rising levels of new cases. This is partly, or largely, due to bad pandemic-time behavior; that is, not wearing masks and not social-distancing. Even in New York, which has done well in reducing its numbers, people are getting weary and a little sloppy with protections. A new study out in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that among all the strategies for reducing transmission, wearing face masks may be the central variable that determines the spread or the control of the spread of the virus.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a mandatory order for all of California, requiring everyone to wear a mask. The new rules require face coverings when people are riding in taxis and rideshare cars, taking public transit, standing in line to enter a building or walking through common areas like hallways, stairways, elevators and parking garages. It also requires masks for people working in a building visited by the public even if no other people are present and at all locations where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution. Masks are also required outdoors in spaces where people can’t maintain six feet of distance from one another. Masks won’t be required for people who are exercising outdoors, including walking, running, hiking and biking, as long as they maintain at least six feet of distance from others.

Florida health officials report another record single-day increase in cases of the novel coronavirus, and hospitals across the state have filled most or all available beds in intensive care units. Numerous Florida medical facilities reported dwindling ICU bed availability on Thursday, with several reporting no availability at all. Two of Palm Beach County’s 17 hospitals have already filled all ICU beds, while several other medical centers reported limited availability. One hospital in Miami-Dade County has also reached its ICU bed capacity as of Thursday.

The Bozeman Public Library will re-open on Tuesday, June 30th. Enhanced safety measures are in place to protect the welfare of staff and customers, including social distancing signs and floor markings, quarantining books and other materials, and frequently sanitizing high touch surfaces. Patrons are encouraged to wear face masks, to swiftly find their materials and proceed to check out. You can visit the library website at bozemanlibrary.org for more details.