Health Board to reconsider Hill County 'direction' on COVID-19

The Hill County Board of Health will hold a special meeting Monday to reconsider the county’s direction when it comes to actions addressing COVID-19 in the area.

Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson, who called for the meeting, said this morning that a couple members of the board, including himself, requested that the meeting be called but he’s not sure what direction it will take.

“I don’t know if we’re going to change any thing, but we need to have a discussion,” Peterson said.

The meeting is set for noon in the Hill County Courthouse Annex. Masks are required in the annex.

Peterson would not say what issues he wants to discuss, just that the county needs to look at the “direction” it has gone in dealing with the disease.

The only action the health board has taken this year is to implement a mask mandate following Gov. Greg Gianforte lifting the statewide mask mandate implemented by his predecessor, Gov. Steve Bullock.

Gianforte’s order specifies that local governments can implement their own mask mandates in place of the statewide mandate.

In a meeting three weeks ago, the Hill County Health board voted 3 to 1 to implement a county-wide mask order that requires universal mask wearing except for children under the age of 5.

The order was to remain in effect for 90 days, or until the county sees a per-capita spread of COVID-19 of 10 per 100,000 people or lower for two consecutive weeks, after which the board will review all other factors and determine whether the order is still needed.

When asked if the meeting would specifically deal with the health board’s recent decision to implement that order, or why the order would be reconsidered before the agreed upon time, Peterson would not directly answer.

“I’m gonna leave that unsaid,” he stated.

Before Gianforte took office, Bullock implemented numerous mandates, especially after the numbers of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations spiked last fall. The numbers started dropping again in Montana in December and have been comparatively low in recent weeks, compared to the fall.

Gianforte rescinded these mandates in January and February but specifically stated that local jurisdictions have the right to implement their own orders.

Some Montana jurisdictions along with Havre including Missoula, Cascade, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, and Butte-Silver Bow counties and the City of Whitefish have all implemented local mask mandates.