As of Saturday, March 27, 2021, Montana reports 104,097 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 125 new cases reported in the last day: 38 in Gallatin County, 29 in Missoula County, 12 in Ravalli County, 11 in Yellowstone County, and more new cases in 18 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 980. Currently, 40 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Gallatin, Missoula, and Yellowstone Counties. 1,436 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 548,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 30,200,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Top health officials say Another Covid-19 surge is avoidable. Health experts across the country have urged state leaders to wait a little longer before easing Covid-19 restrictions and Americans to double down on safety measures as the country races to vaccinate more people. Those actions are especially crucial now that highly contagious — and potentially more deadly – variants are spreading across the US. Instead, at least a dozen governors — in addition to local leaders – have relaxed measures this month. Spring break crowds packed popular beach destinations and air travel has surged. So far roughly 15.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated — meaning not enough Americans are yet protected to suppress the spread of the virus through herd immunity. What can help fight another Covid-19 surge, according to experts, are the measures that have been proven to work: face masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, and regularly washing hands.

The Montana Highway Patrol headquarters could soon hit the road and relocate to the former Montana Developmental Center campus 30 miles south of Helena in Boulder, state officials said, eventually shifting about 40 jobs and giving the agency more space for personnel and storage. The discussion comes as the lease is expiring on the building that on Interstate 15 and Prospect Ave. in Helena, which has served as the headquarters’ home since 1996. The current facility is not meeting the patrol’s needs, and the state-owned Boulder campus could be a good solution. Boulder, which has about 870 residents, is about halfway between Helena and Butte. The town of Boulder lost about 250 jobs when the 48-acre Montana Developmental Center campus shut down a few years ago. MDC was Montana’s only residential facility for people with developmental disabilities that provided 24-hour care for those with the most severe behaviors or severe self-help deficits. The Intensive Behavior Center, a 12-bed intensive, short-term treatment facility for people with intellectual disabilities, has remained on the Boulder campus.