As of Sunday, August 23, 2020, Montana reports 6,429 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 54 new cases reported in the last day: 18 in Yellowstone County, 10 in Flathead County, 6 in Glacier County, 4 in Missoula County, 3 in Big Horn County, 2 in Cascade County, and 1 in each of Custer, Gallatin, Hill, Lincoln, Madison, Phillips, Pondera, Powell, Sweet Grass, Teton, and Valley Counties. Statewide, 379 people have been hospitalized, and 111 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 1,792 cases so far. Gallatin County has had 1,012. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,523. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 777 active cases. Gallatin County has 34 active cases. 90 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 176,000 Americans have died. There have been 5,680,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

A Pennsylvania congressman has tested positive for the coronavirus. Representative Dan Meuser announced that he is postponing public events and is quarantining at home. His wife tested negative for coronavirus. The congressman missed the vote to restore funding to the US Postal Service but says he would have voted against the measure.

You’ve heard the expression, there’s no in-between? Well, in a continued effort to reduce the transmission of coronavirus, Delta Airlines and others like Southwest, Alaska, and JetBlue say it’s either a window seat or an aisle seat – there is no between anymore. Delta Airlines will extend its “no middle seat” policy until at least January 2021. Coronavirus protocols like requiring passengers to wear face makss, doing more frequent cleaning and no middle seat seating are efforts at drawing customers during the pandemic. Globally, air travel is down more than 85% from a year ago, according to the airline industry. Air traffic at Europe’s more than 500 airports is down 94% compared with this same time last year. Travel did increase when more than two dozen European countries opened their borders to one another in July, but virus cases are rising in several countries, leading to reimposed restrictions. And travelers from the US are barred from entry because of the US’s high number of coronavirus cases. Domestic flights provided by some airlines hope to appeal to travelers by not seating in middle seats. Other airlines don’t have the same restrictions. United, American, and Spirit Airlines are seating people in all seats, saying there’s no way to socially distance on an airplane.

The Butte Health Department is reminding bars and casinos that they must follow the governor’s phase II directive. The health department is handing out fliers to establishments in Butte outlining social distancing requirements and early closure times as part of the state’s attempts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The city became concerned after recent reports that some businesses are not complying with the directive.

A face mask directive is in effect in Montana, requiring everyone to wear face masks in public settings in counties with four cases or coronavirus or more in an effort to curb the transmission of coronavirus. Some face coverings are fare more effective than others. Tests have shown that the two face coverings that are the east effective are a bandanna / or a neck fleece, also known as a neck gaiter. Bandanas and neck gaiters may actually spread more of the virus than not wearing a face covering at all. People speaking through some masks (particularly the neck gaiter) seemed to disperse the largest droplets into a multitude of smaller droplets … making an increase in droplet count relative to no mask.” These small droplets could prove extremely dangerous in terms of transmission. “Considering that smaller particles are airborne longer than large droplets because larger droplets sink faster, the use of bandanas or neck gaiters might be counterproductive, Not all face coverings are equal, and that there are some that are going to be more or much less effective.” Please wear cotton or medical grade masks, not bandanas or neck gaiters.