MISSOULA - Some Missoula County businesses are now asking employees to wear masks again due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Missoula County was seeing a high community level of COVID cases as of Thursday, March 9, 2023.
CDC numbers checked on Friday morning showed that the level had dropped back to the mild level.
Lake, Sanders, Mineral, Granite and Ravalli counties also have "high" levels of COVID-19, according to CDC data.
The CDC determines the high, medium and low COVID-19 levels every week by three measures.
The determining factors are the number of new cases per county, how many new COVID-19 patients are in the hospital, and how many inpatient beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
No Western Montana counties reported more than 100 COVID-19 cases in the last seven days.
The CDC is issuing the following reminders:
- Consider wearing a mask to protect yourself and others.
- Stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
- Avoid contact with people who have COVID-19 or believe they may have the virus.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home.
The latest information on COVID-19 from the Missoula City-County Health Department can be found at https://www.missoulainfo.com/.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a change in the community level from Thursday to Friday.