As of Thursday, August 27, 2020, Montana reports 6,929 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 143 new cases reported in the last day: 43 in Yellowstone County, 29 in Rosebud County , 16 in Gallatin County, 14 in Big Horn County, 7 in Lake County, 6 in Flathead County, 4 in Cascade, Dawson, and in Hill Counties, 3 in Lewis & Clark County, 2 in Lincoln County, and 1 in each of eleven more Montana counties: Beaverhead, Carbon, Custer, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Madison, Musselshell, Richland, Silver Bow, Sweet Grass, and Teton Counties. Statewide, as of Wednesday, 412 people have been hospitalized, and 119 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 1,906 cases so far. Gallatin County has had 1,046. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,807. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 889 active cases. Gallatin County has 43 active cases. 98 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 180,000 Americans have died. There have been 5,840,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Amid demonstrations and shooting deaths in response to the police shooting of an unarmed black man, Jacob Blake, in Wisconsin earlier this week, basketball and other professional sports came to a screeching halt Wednesday. First, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for a playoff game against the Orlando Magic. Then, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers agreed to take part in the playoff boycott, and a meeting of NBA players later Wednesday night cast doubt on whether the postseason would continue at all. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have voted to boycott the remainder of the NBA season. The unprecedented decision to postpone the games was quickly followed by a similar decision by the WNBA, which postponed three scheduled games, and by teams and players in numerous other professional sports.

In Milwaukee, the Brewers announced they would not play their Major League Baseball game Wednesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. The Seattle Mariners’ game against the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the San Francisco Giants also were postponed, and members of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics discussed sitting out the first game of their second-round series scheduled for Thursday.

The National Basketball Players Association held a meeting Wednesday night to discuss next steps, including whether to continue play or to cancel the balance of the postseason, which is scheduled to run through mid-October. The Milwaukee Bucks are calling on the Wisconsin State Legislature to return to legislative session to pass laws against police brutality.

Montana high schools will play football in the fall despite state health officials’ concerns. Health officers from the state’s seven biggest counties asked the Montana High School Association move football to the spring. MHSA decided to have football this fall, and did not consult with public health officials prior to deciding to play ball. There will be some health protocols: no more than two fans per player per game, asking fans to social distance in the stands, no shared sideline drinks or equipment, and sixty players maximum on each sideline, after an exception was granted to the governor’s directive against gatherings up to 50 people.