As of Tuesday, January 5, 2021, Montana reports 83,378 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 834 new cases reported in the last day: 162 in Gallatin County, 109 in Lewis & Clark County, 100 in Cascade County, 83 in Flathead County, 81 in Yellowstone County, 48 in Missoula County, 36 in Silver Bow County, and more new cases in 36 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 4,924. Statewide, 3,686 people have been hospitalized, and 212 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Cascade, Lewis & Clark, and Flathead Counties. On the same day as newly-sworn-in Governor Gianforte removed Montana’s mask mandate to protect against the transmission of coronavirus, Montana reached a grim milestone on Tuesday of 1,005 total COVID-19 related deaths, 30 more fatalities than on Monday. Nationwide, more than 354,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 20,900,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Coronavirus cases in Gallatin County rose once again last week after several weeks of declining case numbers. Health Officer Matt Kelley said, “We are seeing a bit of a rebound in numbers, but people act differently during the holidays, so we need to let this settle out and see what cases looks like in the coming weeks.” Despite the uptick in cases, the turnaround time for test results last week was about one day and contact tracers were still able to begin investigating new cases within 24 hours of receiving test results. Last week, the county’s positivity rate rose to 15.1%, more than double the 6.7% rate of the previous week and an indication more testing is needed to avoid missing a significant number of cases. Kelley said Christmas likely affected the positivity rate. While cases are increasing countywide, local schools are seeing a drop in new cases likely due to winter break. Montana State University added 15 cases last week, the lowest weekly total since Sept. 17. The campus has had 1,434 cases since reporting began on Aug. 1.

Butte/Silver Bow Health officer Karen Sullivan announced 11 more COVID deaths in Butte-Silver Bow County. Six were residents of The Springs at Butte, an assisted living facility. Two deaths are associated with the Continental Care and Rehabilitation Center and Copper Ridge Health and Rehab long-term care facilities. Three other deaths came from community members. Butte-Silver Bow has now seen 58 fatalities related to COVID-19 complications. Sullivan said the health department is actively working on a local distribution plan for the COVID-19 vaccines. Phase 1A is currently underway, which includes staff and residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities.

In the Montana legislature, Republican committee chairmen on Monday and Tuesday, the first and second day of the legislative session, proposed committee rules that would deny the public from giving testimony on proposed laws via video meeting. Senator Keith Regier, chair of the Senate Judiciary committee, said he would not allow testimony from members of the public outside the capitol building over remote platforms like Zoom during the legislative session. Democratic members of the committees objected as the proposal contradicts Montana’s constitutional protection of Right to Participate. Sen. Bryce Bennett, a Democrat from Missoula, said while distancing measures might be possible in a separate room or large meeting space, just accessing the Capitol could put the public at risk. Soon thereafter, Republican chairman Regier and the Republican majority reversed course, saying that all Senate committees will allow for remote testimony. The legislature called to order on Monday at noon. Fights over restricting public comment and participation occurred in Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning before the reversal on Tuesday afternoon. The public must register at least twenty-four hours before a committee hearing in order to receive the Zoom link to testify. The sign-up for remote participation is on the Montana legislative website at leg.mt.gov.