As of Friday, September 11, 2020, Montana reports 8,785 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 124 new cases reported in the last day: 32 in Yellowstone County, 30 in Cascade County, 13 in Big Horn County, 9 in Gallatin County, 5 in Lake and in Missoula Counties, 4 in Dawson County, 3 in Roosevelt and in Rosebud County, 2 in each of Flathead, Hill, Lincoln, Ravalli, and Richland Counties, and 1 in each of ten more Montana counties: Custer, Glacier, Musselshell, Park, Pondera, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, and Toole County. Statewide, 518 people have been hospitalized, and 142 people currently are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 2,427 cases so far. Gallatin County has had 1,142. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,859. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 730 active cases. Gallatin County has 56 active cases. 131 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 192,000 Americans have died. There have been 6,420,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

At the University of Alabama, more than 630 students and three student organizations have been sanctioned for violating the school’s COVID-19 regulations. A fourth organization is facing suspension. University of Alabama guidelines say that all members of the campus community must strictly adhere to the University’s Health and Safety Guidelines, which includes the use of face coverings, social distancing and the restriction of large gatherings. Those University of Alabama people and groups who are in violation face “stringent sanctions and discipline,” it reads.

A South Carolina third grade teacher who was last in her classroom less than two weeks ago has died from COVID-19. “Demi” Bannister, 28 years old, was diagnosed with the virus last Friday and died three days later, on Monday, September 7. Bannister was a third grade teacher starting her fifth year of teaching at Windsor Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina. Students in South Carolina have been returning to school over the past three weeks, with everyone required to be back by the day after Labor Day. Most South Carolina school districts are allowing students to attend classes in person at least one day a week.

The Missoula City-County Health Department says that active COVID-19 cases in children aged zero to 19 years old in Missoula have doubled over the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, children from zero to 19 made up 17% of the daily COVID-19 cases. Now that number is up to 35%. The majority of the cases are in children who are enrolled in online school, and very few children who are attending in-person school have tested positive. Farr encourages anyone who has enrolled their children online and is partaking in small-group learning, to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Children should always wear face masks when in school with other kids.

A political rally in Bozeman next week will headline Vice President Mike Pence, but organizers are not working with the Gallatin City-County Health Department on the event. An invite to the event said the crowd size is limited because of COVID-19 restrictions, but didn’t provide any details. The event is open to the public. The city-county health officer said he hoped that the rally will keep crowd sizes small, allow for physical distancing, and ensure that people wear face coverings. The local health rule as well as the governor’s directive limit gatherings to 50 people unless adequate social distancing can be maintained.