More COVID-19 cases confirmed in Hill, Blaine counties

Following the Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Committee of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation enacting new COVID-19 restrictions, more cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in both Blaine and Hill counties.

The Business Committee strengthened its curfew restrictions Monday, and ordered central services tribal employees to self-quarantine for seven days as new cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in Hill and Blaine counties.

Following the passage of the resolutions, Hill County Health Department confirmed three new cases in Hill County and Blaine County Health Department reported that two new cases in that county had been confirmed through tracing contacts with previous cases.

That brings the total in Blaine County to six confirmed cases, all active.

The Hill County report followed a report from the Rocky Boy Health Center that it had confirmed two new cases.

The cases confirmed by the Rocky Boy Health Department are included in the totals released by the health departments of Chouteau and Hill counties, depending on the residence of the people confirmed by the Health Center.

Chouteau County now has three confirmed cases.

Liberty County still lists one confirmed case, which was confirmed in March.

Blaine County Health Department said the people who had been in contact with the people who were confirmed to have COVID-19 and it is contacting them.

"These cases are isolated and recovering at home," the Blaine County Health Department Facebook post said. "Close contacts have been identified, and contact tracing is complete on all current cases. If you have not been contacted by public health you are not a contact to any of the COVID-19 cases in this group or in Blaine County."

The Rocky Boy Health Center reported the total number it has confirmed, and the number of active cases it has confirmed, to be 28.

Hill County Health Department's post said the county now has 34 cases, including cases confirmed after the state map's update, with 30 active and four recovered cases.

The Hill County Health Department post said all cases were identified through tracing contacts with previously confirmed cases.

The new cases were a boy from age 0 to 9, a woman in her 30s and a man in his 70s, the post said.

The state tracking map update this morning listed 2,712 cases in Montana, with 97 new cases and one new death in the state due to COVID-19, bringing the total of confirmed deaths to 40.

The curfew resolution at Rocky Boy, citing the emergency declared in March by the Business Committee due to the COVID-19 pandemic, says the committee is modifying the night-time curfew it had put in place.

The curfew is in effect from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Sunday except for people performing work on behalf of essential businesses and government entities and as well as other nonprofit organizations and people seeking medical treatment, the resolution says.

It also says the 10 p.m. to 6 p.m. curfew continues for all youth younger than 18.

It also notes that people who must leave their homes are required to wear masks or face coverings.

Again citing the tribal emergency declaration as well as Gov. Steve Bullock's declaration for the state and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying "community-based interventions can help slow the spread of coronavirus," the isolation order mandates that tribal employees under central services go into a seven-day quarantine period, returning to work July 28 unless ordered otherwise.

"The Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Committee strongly encourages other tribal entities and tribal businesses not housed under central services to follow suit and take steps to protect their employees, customers and clients," the resolution says.

The mandate also applies to any tribal employee ordered to quarantine by a public health official or court order or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, coughing, breathing difficulties or shortness of breath and persistent pain or pressure in the chest. All self-quarantine orders issued by public health officials or court orders for a longer period of time supersede the time period in the resolution, it adds.

The resolution encourages the use of telework whenever possible.

The resolution also establishes that all employees who cannot work be granted administrative leave, including people who normlly do not qualify for administrative leave, during the seven-day quarantine period.

"The Chippewa Cree Tribal Business Committee encourage(s) all staff to continue to use best efforts to work form home during the seven-day self-quarantine period, and takes steps to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus," the resolution says.

Friday The Business Committee implemented a weekend-long curfew, that started at 10 p.m. Friday and did not end until 6 a.m. Monday.

https://www.facebook.com/RockyBoyHealthCenter .

https://www.facebook.com/blainecountyhealthdepartment .

https://www.facebook.com/hillcountyhealth .

https://www.facebook.com/Chouteau-County-Health-Department-191027850924298 .