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Staff member of Three Forks Public Schools reportedly tests positive for Covid-19

Posted at 1:45 PM, Mar 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-30 18:16:57-04

Three Forks Public Schools has announced that one of the staff members tested positive for Covid-19 recently.

According to a letter from the school district, on Saturday, March 28, 2020, the Three Forks School District was notified that a staff member had tested positive for Covid-19. The positive test was confirmed Friday, March 27, 2020.

Here’s the rest of the letter:

According to the Gallatin County Health Department, the timing of the School District’s transition to remote services on March 16, 2020, means that the District’s staff and students were not in contact with the employee during the period of possible exposure.

The staff member last worked in person-to-person contact with students and staff of Three Forks School District on Friday, March 13, 14 days prior to the staff member’s diagnosis. The staff member was in the school building to retrieve educational materials on March 20, 2020, but did not interact with any students staff during this brief visit.

Since March 16, 2020, the staff member has delivered services to students exclusively using remote delivery. The staff member has notified the students enrolled in these off-site courses of the diagnosis. The School District is working to ensure those students continue to receive education services during any period the diagnosed staff member’s absence from duty.

If any staff or students are at risk of exposure, the Gallatin County Health Department will be in contact with that person to determine a safe and appropriate course of action. At this point, based on the timeline, the Gallatin County Health Department has no such plans. It is still recommended that any person who feels sick or ill, seek out their medical provider for specific instructions. The School District is in contact with the Health Department and reviewing Centers for Disease Control guidance to complete a cleaning the school and other related facilities. School officials will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further information if and when it becomes available.

The school district also announced the Three Forks School will be asking for community members to not use our playground equipment and basketball courts. Open spaces on our track and field are open to families and individuals, but please practice social distancing.

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According to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map , Montana confirms at least 171 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday morning.

The previously reported total Sunday evening was 161.

By: MTN NewsAccording to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map , Montana confirms at least 171 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday morning.

The previously reported total Sunday evening was 161.

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Recent Local NewsBozeman churches hopeto keep peopleencouragedREAD MORE00:15/00:30SKIP ADGallatin County added at least 5 new cases for a total of 67 cases at 7:48 a.m. Monday, March 30, 2020.
Currently, there are 10 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the state.

These numbers may rise as more counties report their caseloads to state officials.

Total Cases by County
Gallatin County - 67 Cases
Yellowstone County - 26 Cases
Missoula County - 12 Cases
Lewis and Clark County - 11 Cases
Silver Bow County - 9 Cases
Flathead County - 9 Cases
Cascade County - 7 Cases
Toole County - 6 Cases
Madison County - 4 Cases
Lincoln County - 4 Cases
Broadwater County - 3 Cases
Lake County - 3 Cases
Park County - 2 Cases
Deer Lodge County - 2 Cases
Jefferson County - 2 Cases
Ravalli County - 1 Cases
Meagher County - 1 Cases
Roosevelt County - 1 Cases
Hill County - 1 Cases

Gov. Steve Bullock confirmed the first death due to COVID-19 in Montana Thursday night. The person who died was confirmed as a 77-year old Lincoln County man on Friday.

A second death was reported Sunday , when a Madison County resident who had tested positive for Covid-19 died on Saturday, Mar. 28, 2020.

No data has been provided yet about number of recovered cases.

Montana is currently under a "stay at home" order due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Public health officials know that the number of cases is likely substantially higher than the number of confirmed cases. As of Saturday morning, the public health laboratory in Helena has completed 3,841 tests.

The "recovery rate" for Montana has not yet been determined, as COVID-19 is still relatively new in our state and there is not enough data to calculate an accurate rate at this point.

  • NOTE: Some confirmed cases are being re-assigned to other counties - for instance, a Glacier County case was re-assigned to Toole County, because the patient was tested and treated in Glacier County (Cut Bank), but actually lives in Toole County. That has happened in several cases. We know that it can be confusing - we are trying to keep things as accurate as possible as the situation changes.

"STAY HOME" ORDER: Governor Steve Bullock on Thursday afternoon issued a directive requiring Montanans to stay home and temporarily closes all nonessential businesses and operations as efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) continue. The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 28. Click here for complete details .

The order will be in effect through Friday, April 10, and requires all businesses and operations in Montana, except for essential businesses and operations as defined in the directive, to stop all activities within the state. The Directive also prohibits all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a household or place of residence. The order does not prohibit restaurants from continuing to offer take-out, curb-side, and delivery service.

Here's a list of Bozeman-area and Butte-area restaurants offering services.

Employees who are not sure if they are considered essential should talk with their manager/business owner. Business owners with questions can call at 1-800-755-6672 and leave messages 24-hours a day and will receive a prompt response, according to Bullock. *CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE DIRECTIVE*

Developing story. Check back for updates.