The City of Whitefish is urging all short-term rentals, hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts to voluntarily refrain from accepting reservations for non-essential purposes through April 30.

The city is sending letters to such business asking them to comply with the request as a measure designed to protect the safety of Whitefish’s citizens, visitors and neighbors during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the letter, Mayor John Mulhfeld and City Manager Dana Smith say the city has been made aware of a recent trend of individuals leaving areas with high concentrations of COVID-19 cases in order to “shelter in place” in small communities such as Whitefish.

“While Whitefish has always taken pride in being a welcoming and inclusive community, this trend presents a very real risk to our citizens,” they said.

Mulfeld and Smith said they understand the financial burden this may place on businesses, and the city is willing to direct businesses to resources to assist them.

“We all must do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to make the health of the people and the community we love our highest priority,” they said.

Gov. Steve Bullock on Monday directed that travelers arriving from another state or country to Montana for non-work purposes undergo a 14-day self-quarantine. The directive follows the governor’s stay at home directive issued last week.

“While we love our visitors, we would ask that you not come visit while Montanans are watching out for one another by staying at home,” Bullock said. “This is important not only to protect our health care system, but also to protect against the spread of COVID-19.”

The directive applies both to Montana residents and non-residents entering the state for non-work-related purposes. It requires a self-quarantine for 14 days, or the duration of a non-work trip to Montana, whichever is shorter. The directive also instructs the state Department of Commerce to advise vacation listing and rental sites that they must notify potential out-of-state renters about the quarantine requirement. Health care workers are excluded from the directive.

The directive also authorizes the Montana National Guard to conduct temperature checks at airports and rail stations and screen for potential exposure history for travelers arriving in Montana from another state or country.

The directive is effective through April 10.

The city notes that it is the responsibility of each business operating lodging facilities, including short-term rentals, to notify potential visitors of the quarantine restrictions.