Ravalli County Public Health Dept.
September 30, 2020
- Recent news articles have quoted community members as saying their plan for a community event has been approved by the Ravalli County Public Health Department.
- Public Health will not approve or disapprove any plan for a community event.
- Public Health nurses will review plans for gatherings/events.
- Public Health nurses will make recommendations about best practices for maximizing public health and safety.
- The official position of Public Health continues to be:
“Public Health is happy to look at those plans to help assess the likelihood they will comply with the Governor’s directives. We will not give approval, nor is consent required for event holders to move ahead. But the responsibility for compliance is completely on the shoulders of the event holders. Please keep in mind that Public Health and the local medical community are already stretched quite thin with school starting and the flu season returning. Again, we are happy to consult on plans to move forward, but the health officer’s input at this point is that maintenance of directives and safe practices for events with groups larger than 50 people during this pandemic would be very difficult.” — Carol Calderwood
- Large gatherings, although inclusive and great for community mental health, are not conducive to the maintenance and improvement of community health while in the midst of a global pandemic.
- Large gatherings often allow situations where people unintentionally or unknowingly relax their vigilance in adhering to the Governor’s directives and CDC guidelines.
- Ravalli County active cases of COVID-19 have doubled twice in the last 14 days.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please call your provider.
If you have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19, Public Health recommends you self-quarantine and call Public Health for further guidance.
If you have any questions regarding COVID-19, please call: (406) 375-6672.