Six confirmed cases of COVID-19 in county

Regional health officials received word April 1 of a sixth positive test for novel coronavirus for an individual in Lincoln County.

The news came as regional businesses, including motels and grocers, continued to adjust to unprecedented circumstances tied to mandates for social distancing.

The Lincoln County Health Department reported that the sixth positive case involved a man in his 20s who has had no contact with other county residents.

On March 30, Jennifer McCully, public health manager for the Lincoln County Health Department, reported that the fifth person who tested positive was a man in his 60s who had had contact with a person out of the area who was “a known positive.”

Officials are working to identify recent contacts the man has had.

The man who was the county’s first positive case of COVID-19, Jim Tomlin, 77, died March 26. Tomlin, a retired teacher who lived at Bull Lake with his wife, was the state’s first fatality linked to the respiratory disease.

As of April 2, none of the other five people who have tested positive are hospitalized, McCully said.

She said residents of the region sometimes call the health department seeking details about the location of residences of people who have tested positive, with the callers apparently believing they can remain safer by avoiding these places in the county.

“It would be irresponsible to say that there are safe parts of the county when we do not have the data to support that claim,” county officials said in a news release.

In addition, health officials are obligated to maintain confidentiality of medical and personal information.

Meanwhile, residents of Lincoln County continue to try to adapt to a wrenching situation never experienced even by the elderly who lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic of the 1950s, the wars in Korea and Vietnam and the societal upheaval after 9/11.

Grocery stores in Libby initially responded by cutting hours. They then began to limit purchases of some items, such as toilet paper. The stores ramped up cleaning. They installed Plexiglas shields in an effort to protect cashiers from the “respiratory droplets” that can spread the coronavirus.

Bears Country Store offered customers a rag and a bucket of bleach, soap and water intended to try to disinfect the gas pumps and nozzles where the virus might linger.

Three of Libby’s motels said business is noticeably off and that they are receiving cancellations for the weeks and months ahead.

Choki Shin, owner of the Caboose Motel, said his business has been fielding cancellations.

“We predict that into the end of May we don’t have much business,” he said.

Fortunately, the Caboose Motel, the Country Inn and the Venture Inn are temporarily housing workers from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

“Basically, we don’t have any other customers,” Shin said.

Maia LaSalle, a spokeswoman for BNSF, said the railroad currently has rail maintenance gangs in the area.

“They will be working there for a couple of weeks,” LaSalle said.

Paul Bunn, owner of the Venture Inn and the nearby Country Inn, said room occupancy is dramatically down — dropping from an average of 20 to 30 rooms per night down to five or six.

“We’re doing the best we can, is the best way to say it,” Bunn said. “We were having a record year, with record months in November, December, January and February.”

The Venture Inn has 71 rooms and the Country Inn has 41, he said.

The motels employ about 60 people. Most are full time

“We have not laid anybody off,” Bunn said. “That’s not in the cards at this point.”

He said the Venture Inn’s restaurant is providing take-out service.

Bunn said he understands the need for social distancing and the mandates for staying close to home.

“It’s essential for our nation. We’ve got to beat this thing,” he said.

Undersheriff Brad Dodson said that although there certainly have been people traveling through and into Lincoln County from other counties and states the numbers have likely not been as great as some local rumors suggest.

“I don’t know that it’s an impactful amount,” Dodson said.

He said at least some of the vehicles bearing out-of-state license plates that are parked at Libby’s grocery stores likely belong to regional residents who have not yet registered their vehicles in Lincoln County.

Both the Kootenai National Forest and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks have closed developed campgrounds in an effort to support mandates for social distancing.

Bunn’s research suggests the coronavirus stimulus package recently passed by Congress includes provisions designed to help the hospitality industry.

He said he also has been heartened by the way Americans and Montanans have stepped up to do what they can to help. One example he cited was volunteers sewing and assembling face masks.

“We’ve got a great spirit of volunteerism in this nation, and especially in Libby,” Bunn said.