Gov. Steve Bullock reminded Montanans to “stay vigilant” as he discussed a recent uptick in confirmed cases of COVID-19 during a call with the press on Wednesday.

Bullock said the state had confirmed 69 new cases in the last seven days, with many of those cases coming from Big Horn, Custer and Gallatin counties. Flathead has tallied four new cases in the last week after going nearly two months without a confirmed case.

Bullock said some of the rise in cases can be attributed to the state doing a more effective job of identifying clusters and performing contact tracing. “This is good news,” the governor said.

The state performed 11,229 tests from June 6-12, up from 7,740 tests in the week between May 30 and June 5. Bullock said about 7,500 tests have been performed at community testing centers in tribal nations.

Bullock said the outbreak in Custer County, where 16 positive cases have been identified in the last week, are being attributed to two different workplace settings. No one in the county has been hospitalized for COVID-19.

In Lake County, recent cases have been attributed to a cluster of family members. The virus was possibly transmitted through out-of-state travel.

The governor was more concerned by the “ongoing outbreak” in Big Horn County and the Crow Reservation, where there have 49 confirmed cases and three deaths. There has also been possible community spread in Gallatin and Yellowstone counties.

“Any area of the state is vulnerable to an outbreak and a loss of life,” Bullock said.

The state has now tallied 630 confirmed cases and 20 deaths from COVID-19, according to the state’s coronavirus information dashboard. A total of 538 have recovered while five are currently hospitalized.

Despite the recent increase, Bullock reminded the press that Montana still has the lowest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths per capita in the Lower 48. But he said Montanans “have to commit to doing more … after how far we’ve come.”

He encouraged Montanans to wear masks where social distancing was not possible. “Mask-wearing shouldn’t be a political or ideological thing,” Bullock said.

Bullock also released details for the Montana Loan Deferment Program to help businesses that have experienced a significant reduction in revenue due to COVID-19.

The program will allow businesses and other entities to defer payments on existing loans for six to 12 months. Coronavirus relief funds will provide payments to participating lenders to cover interest payments for six to 12 months, up to 6% or $150,000.

Bullock said he is directing $125 million to the program with $25 million specifically set aside for hotels and restaurants.

“Through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, we’ve been able to consider and begin meeting the needs across all sectors of the economy and in all corners of the state,” Bullock said in a press release. “The funds we’ve distributed have gotten Montanans back to work, stabilized businesses, provided a safety net for individuals and jump-started industries while considering what support should be available to ensure long term sustainability.”

For more information on the program and other COVID-relief grants offered by the state, visit covidrelief.mt.gov.

Reporter Colin Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected]