Montana has a terrible outbreak of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19. Please, everyone, stop gathering. Wear a face mask over your nose and mouth whenever you’re out of your own home. Keep your distance from others.

As of Friday, October 30, 2020, Montana reports 31,916 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with another record high number of new cases recorded since the start of the pandemic, 1,063 new cases, reported in the last day: 207 in Yellowstone County, 143 in Gallatin County, 142 in Cascade County, 93 in Flathead County, 90 in Missoula County, 36 in Lewis & Clark County, 36 in Rosebud County, 31 in Powell County, 30 in Glacier County, 19 in Roosevelt County, 17 in Fallon County, 17 in Silver Bow County, 16 in Dawson and in Deer Lodge Counties, 13 in Carbon and Musselshell Counties, 12 in Big Horn and in Valley Counties, and more new cases in 26 more Montana counties. Statewide, 1,327 people have been hospitalized, and 357 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. There are 10,450 active coronavirus cases in Montana. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County and in Cascade County, and in Flathead and Glacier and Missoula Counties, Lewis & Clark County, and Gallatin County. 364 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 229,000 Americans have died. There have been 9,020,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Elementary school teachers are organizing support for a letter urging the Bozeman School District to remain in the blended model out of concern for rising COVID-19 rates in the county and the inability to socially distance in classes. In a letter addressed to the school board and the school district, the teachers said their voices had not been acknowledged ahead of the elementary schools’ return to five days of instruction on Nov. 2. In the letter, the teachers said since they are essential-workers then they should have the same level of protection as other essential-workers, including mandated social distancing. That’s something the district has said will be impossible with a return to five days of in-school instruction. “All other essential workers from the hospital, to the courthouse, to the grocery stores, prioritize social distancing as a workplace requirement… In moving to the cohort, the District is ignoring workplace safety requirements,” the letter stated. “With a county positivity rate of 13.6%, state death tolls rising, and our medical facilities overwhelmed, it defies logic that our community is poised to double classroom occupancy and eliminate social distancing in all of our schools,” the letter stated. One Morningstar Elementary teacher said transitioning felt like “pulling the rug out from the kids and families” as many of the teachers have settled into a routine with the blended model. She said a return to five days threatened to disrupt it with an increase of mandatory quarantines. “We take great pride in our work and feel passionate about our contributions to this community,” the letter stated. “Never before have we felt so dismissed.”

With coronavirus case counts in Gallatin County already at record-high levels, health officials are warning the Halloween weekend could lead to an unbearable surge in cases. With the holiday lending itself to large, indoor parties, and the fact that this year Oct. 31 is falling on a Saturday, Gallatin City-County health officer Matt Kelley said there is a potential for a surge more severe than the spike in cases seen after July 4. Kelley said, “We’re starting from a point where we’re already in a surge, so a spike now could really have a huge negative impact on hospitals and nursing homes. We’re seeing dramatic growth in the number of cases and we know the pattern where we see a high number of cases … a couple weeks later we’ll see hospitalizations rise, and we’ll see deaths follow that.” Hospitals around Montana are near capacity or full, including two of the state’s biggest hospitals: St. Peters Health in Helena and St. Vincent Health Care in Billings. Gallatin County is already seeing rapid case increases in those aged 18 to 30, and since young people are more likely than other age groups to throw parties, there is a potential for significant case spread. The health department is concerned for more than just a post-Halloween surge. With Thanksgiving around the corner, Kelley said decisions people make now can impact the safety of family gatherings for that holiday. The same concerns apply to Christmas and New Year’s. It’s best not to gather.