As of Wednesday, January 27, 2021, Montana reports 92,531 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 407 new cases reported in the last day: 81 in Yellowstone County, 39 in Lewis & Clark County, 37 in Flathead County, 37 in Gallatin County, 36 in Blaine County, 31 in Cascade County, and more new cases in 35 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 4,312, 70 more than yesterday. Statewide, 4,177 people have been hospitalized. Currently, 118 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Flathead, Cascade, and Gallatin Counties. 1,201 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Sixteen more deaths have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 428,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 25,600,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Ten people associated with the Montana Legislature’s session that started earlier this month have been tested for COVID-19, with two results returning positive.
Those two positive tests are in addition to the two lawmakers who previously issued public notices about contracting the virus. The testing program is for legislative employees and lawmakers. Spokespeople for lawmakers in both parties said Wednesday that legislative leadership has not been notified of any additional positive cases among lawmakers beyond the initial two. The Republican majorities in the Montana House and Senate have refused to follow public health protocols like mask-wearing or physical distancing in the capitol building, even as those protocols are followed by businesses, schools, and public spaces in the capitol city.

Gallatin and Bozeman high schools will transition to four days of in-person school on Wednesday, with the district’s two middle schools moving to five days in person next week. The transitions will mark the most students attending in-person school on the same days since the district moved to fully remote last March during the early days of the pandemic. The Bozeman School district’s metrics show the COVID-19 transmission levels in the elementary, middle and high school level have been below community transmission for the last three weeks. The high school transition will be four days of in person and one day of remote learning, or a 4-plus-1 model. Unlike middle and elementary schools, high school teachers not only teach in-person students but also the high school’s online-only students. The one day of remote learning, likely to remain Wednesday, allows planning time for the high school teachers.

During the meeting, the board also voted to approve an emergency district policy on face coverings. The policy outlines guidance on disciplinary action related to failure or refusal to wear a mask or harassment related to protective face coverings. The decision to create a district-wide policy requiring masks was spurred by Gov. Greg Gianforte’s plan to repeal the statewide mandate in the near future.