Bullock: State working to enforce COVID-19 requirements

In Billings Thursday, Gov. Steve Bullock and RiverStone Health hosted a press conference to provide updates on enforcement of COVID-19 related directive locally and statewide including in Yellowstone County.

Bullock said local public health officials in Montana have never asked him to put in stricter statewide measures to combat the virus, but he said many have asked his office for help with enforcement of the restrictions already in place.

Hill County Board of Health is considering imposing more strict requirements if the number of cases reported next week don't drop by about 50 percent.

Bullock said, despite the dramatic increase in cases, bringing the state back to Phase 1 is a serious risk to people's livelihoods, because there is no longer substantial relief for non-essential businesses at the federal level, and their survival as businesses and workers would be jeopardized.

In the time he spent in Flathead County, Bullock said, he talked to many Montanans who said compliance with measures ensuring public health is wanting, and local health care workers fear there is a long and arduous road ahead if the virus doesn't get under control soon.

He said more hospitalizations and deaths as well as a strained medical system are the likely results of this road.

He said he's spoken with business owners in Flathead who are worried that they will have to close, residents concerned for their community's health and health care workers who are becoming increasingly strained amid a massive surge in cases.

Bullock said every Montanan needs to take the pandemic seriously because one person with COVID-19 in the wrong place and the wrong time can ruin everyone's efforts, which is something that has happened often at social gatherings and in the workplace in the past weeks.

He said most businesses are protecting themselves and customers, but bad actors are increasing the risk for others, and contribute to the possibility of workplace closures due to a sick workforce, contributing to community spread which is now commonplace.

He said without accountability on the part of these bad actors, the situation will not improve.

In response to this, Bullock said, state public health officials spent this week examining businesses across Flathead County to ensure that they are doing all they can to help get things under control.

He said the team inspected businesses, and many were doing well and he thanked them for their diligence.

Others, he said, had minor issues, like missing signage, or simply misunderstood aspect of the mask mandate. But many, he said, are simply refusing to do what's needed to keep people safe with employees and customers not wearing masks or adhering to Phase 2 requirements.

Bullock said the state public health department will be taking action against these businesses, which he said are repeat offenders, enacting what are effectively temporary restraining orders.

He said if these businesses then comply, enforcement will be dropped immediately.

"We know how quickly this virus spreads," he said, "and as Montanans we should always put the health of our employees, friends and neighbors first."

Bullock said the state is setting up a website that will allow people to report problem businesses and events which are not complying with directives.

Complaints will be reviewed by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, then sent to the local authorities.

He said data from these complaints will be added to a database which will allow them to track repeat and serious offenders.

Bullock said the state is working with other counties and support is being provided for them to help in their own enforcement efforts, with Yellowstone County's Health Officer John Felton and Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito having been great partners in formulating the plan for this support through the Coronavirus Relief Fund Local Government Program.

Felton talked about the importance of interagency collaboration during the pandemic and what is being done in Yellowstone to combat the virus.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has vividly shown that it requires all levels of government, federal, state and local to communicate and work together to keep people safe," he said.

He said the county receives complaints about businesses not following public health guidelines constantly with more than 176 complaints in the last three weeks, which has seen 2,173 infections, 15 people deaths since then.

He said these complaints are being investigated, and enforcement has become a necessity.

"Clearly we all need to step up our efforts to individually do our part to prevent more illness and we need to do more to enforce the governor's directives," he said.

In response to this need, he said, Yellowstone County has created four COVID Education Liaison positions to be filled preferably by former law enforcement officials who understand the legality of investigation and information disclosure so they can work to educate businesses, follow up on complaints and eventually schedule unannounced inspections in preparation for possible enforcement, which could include closing businesses, which he added is within the authority of a local health officer.

The conference was also joined by Billings Area Chamber of Commerce CEO John Brewer, who said most businesses are doing well and listening to directives, and many have even joined the Open State Pledge, and optional and self-regulating pledge, developed by the Yellowstone County's Economic Recovery and Response Team.

"Most are doing all they can to keep their doors open and our neighbors employed all while showing support for fellow businesses do what they can to slow the spread," he said.

However, he said, he understands that there are still many businesses not taking things seriously and the Chamber's position, as well as that of the Montana Restaurant Owners Association, is that increased enforcement of current directives is good for the local economy in the long run and will help to address the danger many businesses are putting their employees and customers in.

"When a business accepts, and sometimes even encourages their patrons not to follow health orders they are putting us all at risk," he said.