Gianforte discusses pandemic, vaccine roll-out and bills

Gov. Greg Gianforte said Friday that COVID-19 trends in the state continue to look good with new cases-per-day dropping dramatically in the last two weeks and the vaccine roll-out continuing despite limited supplies from the federal government.

In a press conference, he said no hospitals in the state are at or above capacity and nearly all long-term care facility staff and residents will have received their first vaccine dose by the end of the month, with nearly 13 percent of tribal communities having received vaccinations as well.

Gianforte thanked front-line health care workers for their hard work and their performance during these difficult times.

He said public health is doing well with the logistics of the ongoing vaccination effort, but many local agencies are being bombarded with calls that they can’t keep up with.

He encouraged people to keep up to date with their local health department online via their respective websites or Facebook pages, or ask a friend or neighbor to check for them if they don’t have the technology necessary.

Despite the good news, Gianforte said, not everyone in Phase 1B will be vaccinated as quickly as he would like to see due to the limited supply received through the federal government each week.

He said the Biden Administration promised the state will continue to receive at least 13,000 first doses as week with the second dose guaranteed, as it did under the previous administration.

He said he will continue to ask the federal government for as many doses as Montana can get.

COVID-19 Task Force Director Maj. General Matthew Quinn said the state is not keeping track of vaccine wastage, but he believes local public health is doing a good job making sure no vaccine goes to waste.

Gianforte said, among health care workers, the people agreeing to be vaccinated of the vaccine is between 75 and 80 percent.

Among people who refuse the vaccine are younger people who wish to see their shots go to someone more vulnerable, which he said is admirable.

He said the indication is that agreeing to be vaccinated among the general population is just over the 50 percent mark, a number he said he suspects will increase as time goes on and side effects of the vaccine remain largely non-existent.

In order to keep the spread low, Gianforte said, Montanans have to keep taking pro-active steps to prevent spread, including wearing a mask and getting the vaccine as soon as they are able.

He said he wouldn’t rescind the state’s mask mandate until protections have been written into law protecting small businesses for being sued for transmission that happens at their establishments, and when the most vulnerable in the state are vaccinated, and neither of those goals have been met.

He said business owners across the state have thanked him for rescinding the mandates restricting hours of operation and capacity made by his predecessor, and he’s glad local health departments are following his lead on the matter.

“The light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” he said.

Gianforte was asked twice about health care workers who have used all of their sick time because they’ve needed to quarantine for COVID-19 exposure, and whether there was something the state could do to make sure they don’t have to go without a paycheck if they need to quarantine again. He did not directly answer the question either time.

When asked about the recent mandate by the Biden Administration requiring masks to be worn on federal property including offices and other facilities and how that will interact with the state’s mandates he criticized the federal mandate.

“Why you’d need a mask on a national forest is incomprehensible to me, it is the definition for social separation,” he said. “I think it shows a lack of understanding of our way of life.”

Gianforte said he’ll be communicating with the Biden team to say he doesn’t believe the measure makes any sense.

He congratulated Biden for his victory, but criticized him for the executive orders he issued in his first two days, particularly his order to revoke the Keystone XL Pipeline’s permit, halting its construction.

He said it was a bad deal for the state and is opposed by all members of Montana’s congressional delegation.

Gianforte said there is bipartisan support for the project in Montana and Biden’s executive action was purely partisan.

He said the project would bring high-paying union jobs to the state, increase the nation’s energy independence, and bring the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

“That money could be used for schools, infrastructure, law enforcement, to raise teacher salaries, but it’s gone now because of the stroke of a pen,” he said.

Gianforte said he will urge Biden to reconsider his decision.

He said he will work with the administration to advance Montana and the nation’s interests, but will always prioritize Montana, and many of Biden’s orders are not in Montana’s favor.

“I will always be on Montana’s side,” he said, “And I will be a strong voice for our interests.”

Gianforte also thanked law enforcement in Montana, the Capitol and the U.S. for their hard work.

In particular he thanked the Montana Highway Patrol, Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the Helena Police Department and the University of Montana Police Department for their recent support keeping the peace in Helena in the wake of the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6.

He also thanked the Montana National Guard, particularly those who helped ensure a peaceful transition of power in Washington.

Gianforte said he read the recent reports and saw images of thousands of U.S. National Guard Members who were forced to leave the Capitol Building to rest elsewhere during their breaks, and said he was outraged.

“Some didn’t have heat or access to needed facilities. This is no way to treat men and women in uniform,” he said. “What happened to them was a national disgrace. Thousands of guardsman answered the call of duty to protect our republic and they will have been pulling security duty for two weeks to support a peaceful transition of power, and this is how they were treated. It’s outrageous.”

There are conflicting reports that the Capitol Police Department told the guardsmen that they had to vacate the premises to take their breaks, and the matter is under investigation in Washington.

Gianforte said he ordered that members of the Montana National Guard be brought home in response to this treatment.

During the press conference he also answered questions regarding bills making their way through the Montana legislature, specifically those restricting abortion access, and requiring transgender athletes to play on teams for the assigned-at-birth gender.

Gianforte said he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself regarding these bills since they are not out of the Legislature and may be changed at some point.

“Anything that makes it to my desk will be given thoughtful consideration,” he said.

He said he’s prioritizing his focus on tax bills, raising starting teacher pay, and other economic concerns.