As new case confirmed in Hill County, official explains restrictions

As another new case of COVID-19 is confirmed in Hill County, Hill County Public Health Director Kim Larson detailed what the Hill County Health Department can do to enforce Gov. Steve Bullock’s mask directive as well as violations of quarantine and isolation orders if the need ever arose, which so far it has not.

Larson said the health department has not seen anyone in quarantine or isolation for COVID-19 refuse to cooperate with them or go out into the public unnecessarily.

The area has seen fewer new cases than it had in the past few weeks with some jurisdictions reporting no new cases for several days, but Larson said, this morning her department was made aware late last night of a new confirmed case.

She said the case was confirmed through contact tracing and investigation is ongoing. Anyone identified as a close contact of the person confirmed Thursday will be notified.

Hill County now has 35 cases, 21 of which are active, with one confirmed in March and the rest in July.

Blaine County has seven cases, all active, and Chouteau County has three cases, two active, with all of the cases in those counties confirmed in July.

Liberty County has one recovered case that was confirmed in March.

She said they have had no problems with enforcement on the cases confirmed so far.

Larson said the county health officer has the authority to issue orders of quarantine or isolation to be served by law enforcement in the event that someone was uncooperative.

She said any violation of such an order would be a criminal offense, and in extreme cases an officer can be stationed at a location to ensure a person is not violating the quarantine or isolation order, but this is something that has not happened in Hill County.

“Most people we work with regarding communicable disease, not just COVID-19, cooperate with our isolation and quarantine requirements,” she said.

Larson also provided details about what the health department can do regarding the enforcement of Gov. Bullock’s recent directive which mandates that people in counties with over four active cases of COVID-19 wear masks in some indoor and outdoor environments.

Bullock said in a press conference announcing that directive last week that the first priority of public health and law enforcement should be education rather than enforcement, but Larson said the Hill County Health Department does have a process for going beyond education in the case or repeated violations.

She said the department’s response to an initial complaint is, in keeping with Bullock’s request, an educational call from the health department and the health officer.

In the case of a second complaint, an order of corrective action will be issued by the county health officer.

In the case of a third complaint legal action will be taken to enforce the directive. 

She said this could include both a criminal complaint with fines and fees and a civil injunction.

Larson also clarified some confusion regarding how positive cases of COVID-19 are being counted by the health department in relation to Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation’s count.

She said the reservation is reporting the positive test results they get through the Rocky Boy Health Center. This number represents all positive tests results from their center whether or not they are residents of Rocky Boy.

“If they tested someone from out of jurisdiction and they ended up positive, they would still report that positive on their numbers because it was a positive test in their facility,” she said.

Larson said this is different from Hill County, which reports all positive cases that are residents of the county including part of the reservation.

“I know it is confusing, but that is how reporting is happening,” she said.

Larson also said the reason the health department doesn’t report COVID-19 cases by town rather than county is that, generally, it can’t.

She said public health entities like the Hill County Health Department are held to the requirements of privacy laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — HIPAA — and the more restrictive Health Care Information Act.

She said the health department serves all of Hill County and will not give out information about where each case of COVID-19 is specifically so as not to violate those individual’s privacy rights.

Larson said the health department will get in touch with people determined to be close contacts of active COVID-19 cases through contact tracing and if there is an area that poses a dangerously high risk of exposure the public will be made aware, but until then the department will not be providing data on where each positive COVID-19 case is in Hill County.

“If there is a need for community awareness of a certain location of possible exposure, that will be made public knowledge,” she said, “However, again, due to HIPAA and the government Health Care Information Act and the restrictions we, as public health, have on us, we will not specify which town in Hill County our cases reside in.”

Larson also said the people of Hill County should be following the mask mandate for the sake of their own health, as well as the health of everyone else.

“Hill County is all of Hill County and everyone here should be following the directives from Gov. Bullock and protecting themself and others from exposure,” she said.