HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock says he wants to see Montana counties emphasize compliance with local health department orders to address the growing number of COVID-19 cases.
The governor told reporters that counties that enforce health orders against "egregious bad actors" create a deterrent. He said right now, some of those counties are seeing lower transmission of the virus than other counties of the same size.
Gov. Bullock also announced the state will provide resources, including legal assistance to counties that want help in taking action against those who repeatedly violate health guidelines.
”I think we can only be successful in beating this virus if we all work together as a team,” he told reporters. “And our local public health officers certainly need all of us to be on a team right now. Now more than ever, we need to roll up our sleeves, get our hands around this virus.”
State health leaders say there have been a number of documented COVID-19 cases that traced back to events where people were not following health department guidance.
Watch the full news conference below: