As of Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Montana reports 7,509 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 93 new cases reported in the last day: 12 in Yellowstone County and in Flathead County, 11 in Cascade County, 8 in Roosevelt County, 7 in Gallatin County, 6 in Hill County and Sanders County, 4 in Missoula and Big Horn Counties, 3 in each of Dawson, Ravalli, Silver Bow, and Toole Counties, 2 in McCone and in Stillwater Counties, and 1 in each of seven more Montana counties: Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Granite, Lake, Park, and Phillips Counties. Statewide, 447 people have been hospitalized, and 140 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 2,094 cases so far. Gallatin County has had 1,078. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,945. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 989 active cases. Gallatin County has 38. 105 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 183,000 Americans have died. There have been 6,040,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Big Horn County health workers have reported that a man in his 70s died of COVID-19, marking that county’s 16th death from the disease. The man was hospitalized before he died. County health workers also confirmed nine new cases that are not yet reflected on the state’s map. Big Horn County includes the Crow Indian Reservation, which has been particularly hard-hit in the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the first cases of COVID-19 in a Region 1 Northern Rockies fire crew showed up in one of our own renowned Montana teams. Its leader says it seems measures are working to keep the spread of COVID-19 down on fire lines as crews push to stop the spread of flames. The Flathead Hotshots team is considered one of the most elite firefighting teams in the country, if not the world. It’s difficult to keep illness out of fire camps; firefighters stay in close quarters and are exposed to tough weather conditions while exerting themselves on fire lines, so sickness can be easily spread. A few weeks ago, the crew was on the Elevation Fire in Powell County, about 40 miles east of Missoula. A few days into the assignment, a crew member started showing symptoms of having a cold. Flathead Hotshot superintendent Shawn Borgen picked up the Hotshot firefighter and drove him to Flathead County to get tested. When the test came back positive, they pulled the whole crew off the fire and had everyone else working the blaze tested. In all, three Flathead Hotshots tested positive while the rest of the 17 went into a 14-day quarantine. More than 120 Forest Service firefighters have tested positive in that agency alone, and anywhere from a quarter to a third of the Hotshot crews have been affected by COVID-19 exposure.

Hardin Public Schools has paused athletic events for both high school and middle school programs in the wake of students testing positive for COVID-19. The school district has halted its fall sports schedule for two weeks, as of Friday, August 28. Multiple students have tested positive for COVID-19. The Big Horn County Health Department says that these positive confirmations may have a large impact on students/staff that may have been in contact with these students during possible periods of exposure. The students last (had) in-person contact with fellow students/staff on Aug. 27. Hardin’s football opener is scheduled for two weeks from Friday on Sept. 11 at home against Lewistown, and the Bulldogs cross country teams were scheduled to compete at the Sidney Invitational on Saturday, but did not make the trip. Hardin is located in Big Horn County, which currently has the second-most deaths and the fourth-most active coronavirus cases in the Montana. The county reported on Friday that it had 20 new cases — six in patients younger than the age of 20. 17 residents remain hospitalized. Previously, fall high school sports were canceled at Lodge Grass, Northern Cheyenne and St. Labre due to the pandemic. Those schools are located in or near Big Horn County.

The Bozeman School District will cut some bus services for students living within 3 miles of their school. The district is implementing CDC safety recommendations for student transportation, which limits capacity to no more than one student per seat, which decreases the carrying capacity of the school buses. The 77-passenger buses used by the district will carry 25 students. If a Montana school district provides bus service, it is required to provide transportation to students who live farther than 3 miles from their school. The Bozeman School District, which contracts bus services to First Student, has historically provided transportation to students within the 3-mile radius, in addition to its more distant required routes. 1,800 students who live within 3 miles of their school will no longer have school bus routes. Instead, the district’s 41 bus routes will serve the 1,400 students who live 3 miles or farther from school. In addition to a lower occupancy, students and bus drivers will be required to wear face masks during the drive to and from school. Students will be asked to bring their own masks but there will be a small supply on each bus if a child forgets to wear one. Each bus will be cleaned every day, with an additional deeper cleaning on Wednesdays when students are not attending in-person classes.