Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Statewide COVID-19 cases over 200, 2 in Jefferson County

As of Wednesday morning, there were a total of 208 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Montana, with two of the positive tests in Jefferson County. Gallatin County currently has 76 positive tests and there are six in Madison County.

There have currently been 4,918 tests completed statewide, 17 hospitalizations, and five deaths related to COVID-19.

Jefferson County Public Health Supervisor Karen Wandel announced the second confirmed case in Jefferson County on March 27.

"The person has been notified and the investigation is initiated. We wish this person a speedy recovery. I would like to remind people that it's best to stay home when ill, practice good hygiene, and maintain the recommended social distancing to prevent the spread of the illness," she said.

The Whitehall School District announced earlier this week they would be closing their playground to the public and have also canceled their planned April 7 school board meeting. The Town of Whitehall has closed the skate park located on Legion Avenue.

Governor Steve Bullock on Monday directed that travelers arriving from another state or country to Montana for non-work-related purposes undergo a 14-day self-quarantine. The Directive follows the governor's prior travel advisory and last week's Stay at Home Directive.

"While we love our visitors, we would ask that you not come visit while Montanans are watching out for one another by staying at home," said Governor Bullock. "This is important not only to protect our health care system but also to protect against the spread of COVID-19."

"As of today, travel from another state or country is the most commonly known source of COVID-19 infections in Montana. I am asking anyone who is in Montana and has recently traveled from another state or country to do the right thing and self-quarantine for 14 days," continued Governor Bullock.

The Jefferson County Fire Council, in coordination with the Jefferson County Fire Warden, has decided to close debris burning. Fires under 48" in size (such as campfires) are NOT impacted by this closure. The closure will be in effect through at least April 10. Debris burning is one of the leading causes of fire response calls in the spring. By closing debris burning, the Council hopes to reduce the occurrence of close contact among our volunteers which is required during response operations. Additionally, debris burning activities such as saw work can lead to injuries that require medical resources that are already thinly stretched. Thank you for your understanding.

High Peak Federal Credit Union announced Monday the lobbies at their three facilities (including Whitehall) would be closed to walk-in traffic. Staff at all three locations will be available by appointment only.

In a post on their Facebook page, Jefferson Valley EMS & Rescue members urged the public to follow the stay at home order form the Governor.

"We ask that you stay at home. We also ask that you use your time to contact friends and family via phone, text, email or social media. There are many struggling in our community in many ways. Supporting our community members with positive upbeat posts on social media will make this stressful time pass easier."

"Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue is ready to serve our community. The Jefferson Valley Ambulance District has been a key component in helping our service become prepared.

We want the whole community to know that we have been preparing to serve our community for several weeks. We have all six of our ambulances ready and fully prepared. We have dedicated one ambulance strictly for the transport of respiratory patients so that non-respiratory can be transported in other ambulances. Our staff has PPE that is expired but hopefully, it will work until we can secure new PPE. Jefferson Valley EMS and Rescue is here and ready to serve our community."

Editor's Note: The number of positive cases in this story was as of press deadline Tuesday afternoon. Please visit www. COVID19.mt.gov for the most recent list of positive cases, positive cases by county, and the number of residents tested.

 

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