Coronavirus updates – Week in review April 7 - April 13

Below is a summary of the new information about local and statewide closures, restrictions and accommodations due to the coronavirus as of Monday, April 13. Information changes daily, sometimes hourly. Please call ahead or contact the organization directly with questions.

Please follow the Seeley Swan Pathfinder website (seeleylake.com) for Breaking News for our area. We will post information as it becomes available.

For the most up-to-date and accurate information and best ways of protecting yourself and others, please refer to the Missoula County-City Health Department website http://missoula.co/cvirus or call 406-258-INFO (4636) Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Other resources include regularly updated information for Missoula City-County Joint Information Center, http://covid19.missoula.co/, state information at http://covid19.mt.gov and the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

LOCAL INFORMATION

• The Missoula County COVID-19 Testing Center launched April 7. If you have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, difficulty breathing) or are caring for someone with symptoms, call 406-258-INFO (4636) and select Option 2 to speak to a nurse. Missoula County residents and Missoula healthcare workers with symptoms may get scheduled for testing. Tests are by appointment only.

STATEWIDE

• As of April 13, there are 394 cases of COVID-19 in Montana including 47 hospitalizations. Missoula County has 32 cases and eight hospitalizations. The death of a Flathead County resident brought the state's death toll due to complications with COVID-19 to seven April 13.

• New data suggests presymptomatic people (people who are infected but are not showing symptoms) can spread COVID-19. Because no one tell if they are presymptomatic, the CDC recommends wearing a cloth face covering in some situations to protect people around you in case you are infected but have not shown symptoms. Remember, the best way to reduce COVID-19 transmission is social distancing - keep at least six feet between yourself and other people and stay home as much as possible.

• The Montana Secretary of State's Office will waive the late filing fee for businesses until July 15 in response to the emergency order related to the coronavirus. Businesses can file their 2020 Annual Reports online at sosmt.gov.

The Secretary of State professionals are available for questions from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling 406-444-2034.

• On April 10, the Office of Public Instruction, Board of Public Education, and Montana Public Education Center associations advised public schools to continue distance learning plans through the remainder of this school year and also plan to postpone or come up with an alterative plan instead of holding large-scale in-person graduation ceremonies. At this time, national health authorities are stating that social distancing recommendations will be in place at least through May and possibly into the summer. They expect that even if the Governor's "Stay At Home" and "School Closure" directives are lifted after April 24, that social distancing guidelines will still be recommended.