As of Sunday, November 22, 2020, Montana reports 55,680 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,084 new cases reported in the last day: 243 in Flathead County, 213 in Gallatin County, 176 in Yellowstone County, 130 in Silver Bow County, 58 in Ravalli County, 56 in Lewis & Clark County, 51 in Missoula County, and more new cases in 27 more Montana counties. Statewide, 2,350 people have been hospitalized, and a record 477 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana has risen to 16,026. The most active cases are in Yellowstone and Flathead County, Cascade and Missoula Counties, and Gallatin County. 603 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 256,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 12,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The CDC is warning Americans: Do not travel for Thanksgiving. Citing an “exponential growth” in Covid-19 cases, federal public health officials urge people to stay home. Even spending the holiday nearby — like at a neighbor’s house just down the street — can be risky, the CDC said. There is no question that when multiple households gather, cases of COVID-19 rise dramatically. Spikes occurred after Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day. Thanksgiving — the most heavily traveled holiday in the U.S. — is sure to follow suit. But the holiday is a particular challenge with the potential to be even more dangerous. Colder weather across much of the country means open-air gatherings are impractical and consistent mask use is impossible while eating and drinking. The holiday also comes as average daily cases in the U.S. are higher than at any point in the pandemic.

The unholy union of wedding receptions and the coronavirus has public health officers pleading with Americans to say “I don’t” to pandemic nuptials.
Between the Pacific Northwest and forests of Maine, all across the country, joyous expressions of love have become Covid-19 superspreaders, fueling the fall season’s deadly coronavirus spike. In Millinocket, Maine, an Aug. 7 wedding led to the infection of at least 177 people and seven deaths.
A Richmond, Virginia, nursing home reported at least 16 cases that were linked to a wedding last month. A wedding with 83 guests in Cincinnati led to 32 guests getting infected, not to mention people those guests might have contacted outside of the event. More than four dozen people in eastern Washington were sickened in an outbreak traced back a Nov. 7 wedding in Ritzville, Washington, which included more than 300 guests. The threat posed by pandemic weddings is only made possible by basic human psychology — believing that contact with loved ones can’t possibly be harmful. But even get-togethers with just a few people are dangerous. “micro wedding” with a couple dozen guests have proven to be disastrous. The Maine wedding superspreader event had a mere 55 guests, yet became so notorious, it warranted a report to the federal Centers for Disease Control and could lead to a flurry of lawsuits.

On Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock announced the launch of the Interim Pandemic Assistance program, an extra $200 weekly payment to unemployed Montanans impacted by COVID-19 using up to $25 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds. The extra $200 payment will be issued to any eligible Montanan who is unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19 disruptions and who is receiving unemployment benefits under the regular UI and Pandemic relief programs. While claimants do not need to fill out a separate UI claim for these benefits, the additional funds will be paid in a separate direct deposit or check from their regular UI payments. Payments issued under the new Interim Pandemic Assistance program will be available for four benefit weeks.