Governor tells Montanans to stay home

Montana Governor Steve Bullock on Thursday issued a shelter-in-place order for Montanans to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

As of Thursday, 90 cases had be confirmed in Montana. "We have to do more to curtail the spread of the virus," Gov. Bullock said.

The governor's order is effective at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and will be effective through April 10, when the order will be re-assessed. It encourages Montanans to stay home "except for essential activities." That, he said, includes activities for health and safety, necessary supplies, certain work and for outdoor activity, as long as they operate under the rules of social distancing.

Gov. Bullock explained how the order will be enforced.

"It can be enforced by the county attorney, the attorney general and the Department of Public Health and Human Services," he said. "I hope it will all be self-enforced. It shouldn't take a sheriff to say 'let's have some common sense here.'"

Montana has set up a toll-free number to help workers and businesses determine who are exempt and deemed essential. That number is 1-800-755-6672. The governor encouraged people to first look at the Montana directive, as well as the Department of Homeland and Security's guidelines at https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce.