Virus spurs cancellations across county

The ramifications of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and “social distancing” efforts to control its spread finally manifested in dramatic fashion Sunday in northwest Montana.

Gov. Steve Bullock ordered the closure of the state’s public schools and also limited visitation at nursing home facilities statewide.

“As governor, it is my top priority to protect the health and safety of Montanans, particularly our most vulnerable, at a time when we face the potential for extraordinary health risks from coronavirus in our state,” Bullock said in a news release.

That same day, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that for the next eight weeks organizers, whether groups or individuals, cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

Craig Barringer, superintendent of Libby Public Schools, said the schools serve about 1,184 students in grades pre-K to 12. The district has 154 employees.

“We will continue to work during the closure,” Barringer said. “Our kitchen staff will be preparing breakfast and lunch that students can pick up and in some cases delivered beginning tomorrow [March 17].”

Barringer said teachers and other staff are preparing for students to work remotely.

“We will have this ready to go by Thursday,” he said. “We have a scheduled spring break the week of March 23 and will keep that scheduled as such. During that time we will not be serving meals and sending school work home.”

Barringer said custodial staff will be deep cleaning school buildings.

The Cabinet Peaks Medical Center in Libby issued a statement on March 16.

“We are working closely with Lincoln County Public Health and are active members of the Lincoln County COVID-19 task force for preparedness, not only for the medical center but for the entire county,” said Kate Stephens, a spokeswoman for the medical center.

“We don’t know how the illness will unfold in Lincoln County,” she said. “But we are doing everything we can and working around the clock to be as prepared as we possibly can be.”

Regional cancellations include the Libby High School Pre-festival Band Concert that had been scheduled for March 17.

Flathead Electric Cooperative cancelled an annual meeting that had been set for March 21. In addition, the cooperative announced that its offices in Kalispell and Libby are closed temporarily to the public.

Flathead Valley Community College has cancelled all classes and events from March 16-29 on the Kalispell and Lincoln County campuses. The Early Childhood Center will be closed, and all continuing education classes are canceled during this time.

FVCC campus offices will remain open. FVCC will resume classes March 30 using remote delivery. More information will be available to students in the days ahead.

Also cancelled was a meeting scheduled for March 18 in Libby of the Libby Asbestos Superfund Oversight Committee.

Last week, before news broke of suspected cases in Montana of COVID-19, Mark Peck, chairman of both the oversight committee and the Lincoln County board of commissioners, had said he was hoping for a strong community showing.

Participants had anticipated potentially contentious discussion with the director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality about DEQ’s draft proposal of what the agency would and would not pay for going forward in terms of sampling and cleanup of asbestos contamination in circumstances that seemed to require one or both.

Bullock’s executive orders Sunday suspended visitation to nursing homes for all visitors and non-essential healthcare providers, “except as for certain compassionate care situations,” such as end of life.

And because the elderly can be especially vulnerable to COVID-19, Bullock advised that parents should avoid, if possible, placing children with grandparents, family members, friends or providers who are older than 60 or immuno-compromised.

Both Libby Empire Foods and Libby’s Rosauers grocery stores are reducing hours and will stay open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Both stores had previously closed at 11 p.m.

Rosauers has opened at 6 a.m.

Scott Lapka, manager at Empire Foods, said closing early will allow more time to re-stock shelves and to clean and sanitize the store.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Peaks Medical Center has implemented temporary visitor restrictions, barring visitation by people with respiratory symptoms, and may tighten visitation more in the days and weeks to come.

The medical center said that if it identifies a potential COVID-19 case, “all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will be followed for placing the patient in isolation for their care and the protection of CPMC staff, other patients and visitors to the medical center.”

In addition, Cabinet Peaks Medical Center emphasized that the emergency department “is not the treatment place of choice for COVID-19 and should be utilized only if symptoms are urgent or emergent.” People with mild to moderate symptoms should stay home and call public health or a primary provider, the medical center said.