As of Friday, March 12, 2021, Montana reports 101,556 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 132 new cases reported in the last day: 28 in Gallatin County, 26 in Missoula County, 13 in Flathead County, 10 in Valley County, and more new cases in 16 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 951. Currently, 53 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Missoula, Gallatin, Flathead, and Yellowstone Counties. 1,392 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 530,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 29,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he will direct states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccinations no later than May 1, a move that he said could help the United States return to some sense of normalcy by Independence Day. While Biden said there was a “good chance” that friends and families will be able to safely gather together in small groups to celebrate July Fourth, he cautioned that for that to happen, Americans would need to get vaccinated and continue to follow health guidelines, such as mask-wearing. President Biden celebrated that his original goal of administering 100 million vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office was on track to be met by just 60 days, and said he expected 2 million to be administered every day going forward. In addition to directing states, tribes and territories to make all adults eligible for vaccinations by May, Biden said he will double the number of pharmacies participating in the federal pharmacy program and will also double the number of federally run mass vaccination centers that his administration has been setting up in sports stadiums and convention centers around the country.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, through his lieutenant governor’s testimony Thursday, put his support behind a bill to establish the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Montana. Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a former University of Montana adjunct law professor and unsuccessful candidate for the Montana Supreme Court, told the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that Senate Bill 215 had the support of the first Republican governor in the last 16 years. The bill has drawn some of the sharpest criticism from the LGBTQ community since it surfaced in the Senate, where it narrowly passed last month. Thursday was the first public support that Gianforte, a deeply religious conservative, lent to the bill.

Supporters of the measure Thursday spent much time challenging the assertion that passing RFRA was akin to abolishing non-discrimination ordinances some communities in the state have enacted. The bill, cosponsored by 40 Republican lawmakers, would prohibit state agencies from implementing laws that “substantially burden” peoples’ ability to exercise religion. Chelsia Rice, owner of Montana Book Co. in Helena, spoke in opposition to the bill Thursday. “I’ve had customers tell me they are leaving; they are leaving Montana,” Rice told the committee. “They do not feel safe.” Two Republican representatives on the committee let out a “cheer” when Rice testified that RFRA’s passage would drive people out of the state. Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, R-Belgrade, and Rep. Bob Phalen, R-Lindsay, were named as the lawmakers who appeared to celebrate the notion. House Republicans have already passed two bills decried by the LGBTQ community; one to prevent transgender women from participating in women’s school sports, and the other to limit medical care for transgender youth experiencing gender dysphoria. The bills are awaiting action in the Senate. Other states that have passed similar legislation have been criticized for discrimination against citizens and have lost billions of dollars when companies, corporate and business travel, sports tournaments, and other events have been canceled as a result of the legislation.