Health officer urges tighter pandemic restrictions

Lincoln County’s top doctor is pushing for a more robust pandemic response effort as evidence of community spread of COVID-19 mounts.

Dr. Brad Black, public health officer, sought further restrictions on gatherings during an emergency meeting of the county health board on July 16. The proposed rules go above those enacted by Gov. Steve Bullock, effectively banning any group event with more than 50 participants.

Black said the recent jump in cases, coupled with the county’s aging and high-risk population — and worsened by the aftermath of decades of vermiculite mining — prompted him to take extraordinary measures.

“Right now, I want — on the short term — to slow the thing down. That was the idea of limiting groups,” he said. “Our behavior determines, really, what happens to a lot of people right now in our communities. We’ve got to all understand that and work together on that.”

A backlog in testing results also has left health workers in the dark regarding the virus’ spread. Jennifer McCully, the county’s public health manager, said it takes up to 14 days in some cases to get a response from the labs processing tests.

“Here we are. We don’t have the tools we need,” Black said. “The goal … of restricting people socially is reducing contact and using the mask breaks down that continued transmission and with those methods we can bring this under control. The idea is we want to keep businesses going. If we’re not doing these things right, we won’t have businesses open here after a while.”

The meeting, available to the public via Zoom and teleconferencing, quickly devolved into a vociferous debate over the governor’s new mask mandate. Residents, at times, took turns shouting one another down, hurling invectives and mocking health department officials, including Black, who heads the Center for Asbestos Related Disease.

“My constitutional rights are being taken away because of six sick people,” Eureka business owner Heather Handy said, miscounting the number of active cases in the county. “You’re taking away my constitutional rights and my ability to make a living. That’s not OK with me. That’s not OK with the citizens of America.”

Resident Pierce Barney called for civil disobedience during his turn to speak.

“This is a bunch of malarkey,” he said. “Those who like to drink the fear Kool-Aid: Stay home.”

Health department officials reiterated that the mask requirement, announced by Bullock last week, remained outside of their purview. Bullock’s mandate requires residents in counties with more than four active COVID-19 cases to don face coverings inside public spaces.

The order includes shops, restaurants and government buildings. It exempts certain activities, like performing on a stage, exercising and eating a meal.

Throughout the pandemic, state officials have given local elected leaders permission to craft more restrictive regulations to address the situation on the ground. They are not permitted to enact less stringent requirements.

While Black’s proposal to curtail crowds did not draw as many comments as the face mask requirement, organizers behind the upcoming rodeo and August’s Ignite the Nites event expressed concern.

Patty Rambo of the Kootenai River Stampede told board members the annual event is a major boost for the community. Planning begins a year beforehand, she said, and represents an “economic and psychological” benefit for Lincoln County.

Kevin Peck of the Igniters Car Club argued that his event, which sprawls across Libby’s downtown, could go forward with social distancing. He also pointed to the economic benefit of the yearly tradition.

“It’s a big event. It brings a lot of money to a lot of people,” Peck said. “There is a lot riding in our community on that event and other events. If we’re going to implement what the governor suggested, that’s great. I’m not sure why we need to be more restrictive than the governor.”

While many events ended up canceled as the pandemic spread across the nation, a few have gone forward under the promise of social distancing. Organizers behind a Fourth of July parade in Libby earlier this month told public officials they lengthened the parade route to allow people to distance themselves. Still, hundreds packed Mineral Avenue.

Other residents voiced support for Black’s measures and a few asked for more stringent measures.

“I would like it to have some kind of penalty or fine if people don’t do this or don’t take it seriously,” Eureka resident Carol Blake said. “I am urging Dr. Black to please cancel all of the big gatherings that we are going to be having in the next couple of weeks. It seems like sheer folly to try and pull this off in this critical, critical time.”

Libby City Council member Gary Beach asked how Black planned to enforce the proposed rules. He also wanted to know what could be done to prevent an individual with COVID-19 from going about their daily business. In response, County Attorney Marcia Boris read the Montana laws outlining Black’s wide-ranging authority over public health issues, including ordering businesses closed, events canceled and patients isolated.

Black said he arrived at the proposed restriction after much consideration. A longtime physician with deep ties to the community, he said he developed the rules in the face of an “imminent” threat.

“When I proposed the orders here I know that’s not something everybody wants to see. I feel very strongly it’s for the good of all of us,” he said. “I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”

Owing to the number of people wanting to weigh in on the proposal — Zoom at times reported upward of 90 participants — county health board members opted to hold a second public meeting on the topic before voting. That meeting was scheduled for July 20, the day that Black’s tentative order was scheduled to go into effect.