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Yellowstone County health officer set to announce new restrictions to curb spread of COVID-19

Posted at 11:03 AM, Oct 10, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-11 13:06:32-04

BILLINGS - Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton and members of the Unified Health Command Medical / Technical Team will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, to announce the issuance of a Health Officer Order to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Yellowstone County.

According to a press release issued Saturday morning, on Friday, Oct. 9, reported cases of COVID-19 infection reached 598, exceeding the 565 mark indicating 50 cases per 100,000 people.

RELATED: Montana reports 3 additional deaths, 721 new COVID-19 cases (Saturday, Oct. 10)

At a press conference on Oct. 5, Felton indicated a Health Officer Order would be issued if new cases of COVID-19 exceeded 50 cases per 100,000 people.

A rate that high would warrant increasing capacity restrictions on bars, restaurants, casinos and churches, along with requiring bars to close at 10 p.m., Felton said. He initially stated he would allow only a 25 percent capacity for these groups but walked that back to 50 percent during a virtual meeting hosted by the Billings Chamber of Commerce.

RELATED: Health officer: Yellowstone County near threshold for new COVID restrictions