Schools continue to see COVID-19 cases

Although numbers of new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 seem to be staying much lower than during the surge from September through early November, cases are still rolling in including in school systems.

North Star School District, which put North Star Elementary School in Gildford on remote learning Thursday while tracing and planning in response to a confirmed case, announced Sunday that another case connected to the school was confirmed that day and the school would stay on remote learning through this week.

“We are making this week remote for grades K-5 due to lack of staff and concern about further transmission,” a release from the district said. “We hope to return to in-person learning the week of January 18, 2021, but will make that determination later in the week.”

The North Star middle and high schools in Rudyard are staying with in-class learning as of now.

Havre Public Schools has not announced any closures to school buildings, but it also reported another school-related COVID-19 case over the weekend.

Interim Superintendent Craig Mueller issued a notification this morning that a case associated with Lincoln-McKinley Primary School Saturday. The person with the confirmed case was last in contact with people at Lincoln-McKinley last Tuesday, and contact tracing has been conducted, the notification said.

The notification said that if any person associated with the district is at risk of exposure, the Hill County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action.

“It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill seek out their medical provider for specific instructions,” it said. “The school district is in contact with the (Hill County) Health Department and reviewing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to complete cleaning the school and other related facilities. The other steps taken by the school district include the continuation of social/physical distancing, the use of face coverings, and frequent hand washing and hand sanitizing. Contact the superintendent for details about these measures. School officials will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further information if and when it becomes available.”

The numbers around the state appear to continue to remain comparatively low, although officials warn that until vaccination is complete, the numbers could again surge.

The state is finishing Phase 1A of the vaccination, primarily front-line health care workers and health care workers with high exposure to the virus, and moving toward Phase 1B.

That phase was just changed last week by Gov. Greg Gianforte, removing a number of people who had been on the list such as people in schools and increasing the numbers for the high-risk group of elderly by moving the target age, previously 75, to 70 and older and adding people older than 16 with qualifying underlying conditions. It continued to include Native Americans and other people of color who may be at elevated risks for COVID-19 complications.

Hill County Health Officer Kim Larson said Friday her office will set up vaccination clinics and would let people know when the clinics are closer to happening. She said people have been calling the Hill County Health Department to get their name on a list, but the department is not making any such list right now.

“When we have a scheduled vaccination day planned, we will get out one specific number where people can call to schedule an appointment for that day,” she said in an email. “Until then, we are not keeping a list.”

Before Gianforte changed the eligibility for Phase 1B, Blaine County Health Department had started having people in eligible groups call to get their names on a list to be contacted Phase 1B started.