COVID-19

School board declares state of emergency as precaution

Published on Wed, 09/29/2021 - 3:56pm

The Livingston School District Board voted at a special board meeting Tuesday night to declare a state of emergency for the current school year, which gives the school district flexibility to preserve funding if a COVID-19 outbreak forces missed school days.

The move was recommended by the Montana School Boards Association, Superintendent Lynne Scalia said, and comes two weeks after several schools around the state shut down in-person learning, including Great Falls High School, Plains High School and Eureka Public Schools.

COVID UPDATE

Published on Mon, 09/27/2021 - 12:01pm
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COVID-19 continues to spread through Park County and has claimed the life of another county resident, said Dr. Laurel Desnick, Park City- County health officer.

Montana deploys 70 guardsmen to hospitals as COVID-19 cases climb

Published on Wed, 09/22/2021 - 12:00am

Gov. Greg Gianforte on Tuesday announced a series of Montana National Guard deployments to hospitals across the state to address an overburdened nursing labor force and skyrocketing COVID-19 case numbers — Montana twice led the nation in per-capita COVID case count increase last week, and health officials are warning that the delta variant-driven pandemic is the most devastating it’s been in months.

Board of Health backs school masking

Published on Mon, 09/20/2021 - 4:20pm

The Park City-County Board of Health voted on Friday to recommend universal mask use for all schools in the county, with exceptions for schools with adequate ventilation where students are able to consistently distance.

Board members considered public comment from more than three dozen people around the community, including concerned parents, health care workers and one parent who had three children home quarantining after they had been exposed to COVID-19 in school.

County schools remain open, mask optional amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Published on Wed, 09/15/2021 - 3:31pm

Schools around Park County are weathering the current COVID-19 surge that has seen 39 new cases crop up in the county on Monday and Tuesday, according to state data.

Shields Valley Schools were the first to open — and did so with masks optional — in the county, and Superintendent Dan Johnston said they had to isolate a couple classrooms due to COVID-19 cases by the second week of school. 

BACK TO MASKS: School district reinstates mandate

Published on Mon, 09/13/2021 - 12:00am

A rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the Livingston School District has pushed active case numbers to the highest they’ve been since the pandemic began, prompting the district to institute a universal mask mandate for all school buildings, beginning today.

Universal masking required at Livingston public schools

Published on Mon, 09/13/2021 - 12:00am

On Thursday, in accordance with District Policy 8301, School Safety, the Superintendent’s office at Livingston Public Schools announced the decision to resume the requirement that all students and adults wear a mask that covers the face and mouth upon entry to all school buildings, effective today. COVID-19 case rates, illness, patterns of spread, and absence rates in our schools, as well as input from families, health professionals, and the administrative team, all influenced the decision.

COVID crush: Regional ICU beds nearly full

Published on Thu, 09/09/2021 - 4:57pm

Health Department workers take to the streets to give leftover vaccines

Published on Thu, 04/29/2021 - 3:32pm
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At the end of a near 600-dose COVID-19 vaccine clinic Wednesday, the Park County Health Department found they had nine doses left over.

After efforts calling around yielded only one more vaccine recipient, according to Health Department employee Alexis Van Pernis, the department took to the streets in downtown Livingston, with the doses and supplies in what basically amounted to a tackle box, in search of people yet to be vaccinated.

“It was a funny way to end the day,” Van Pernis said.

County Board of Health will look at gathering sizes

Published on Tue, 04/27/2021 - 3:44pm

The Park County Board of Health is set to take up the issue of gathering sizes at a special meeting, to be held virtually at noon Thursday.

Outdoor gatherings are capped at 250 under the county’s current rules, according to Park County Health Officer Dr. Laurel Desnick.

Indoor gatherings are capped at 50 people, and bars, restaurants and breweries are limited to 75% capacity.

Whether the limit will be removed, set higher or kept in place will be up to the board, which she does not serve on, Desnick said.