On Monday, Flathead City-County Health Department officials said recent investigations into the valley’s ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases have linked exposures to social gatherings in indoor spaces and large events, including birthday parties, group dinners, weddings and trade shows.

A press release from the health department urged Flathead County residents to limit close, non-household contacts to no more than six individuals per week and recommended people interact with those non-household contacts for 15 minutes or fewer, “whenever possible.”

In addition, officials encouraged residents to utilize take-out, delivery and other contact-free services at businesses and said residents should, in general, focus on minimizing how frequently individuals leave their homes, the number of locations they travel to and the amount of time spent at those locations.

In a prepared statement, the Flathead City-County Health Department's Interim Health Officer Tamalee St. James Robinson, said “it is vital” that individuals follow the department’s recommended steps to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Robinson said with the holidays around the corner, it is especially important to adhere to guidelines regarding social gatherings, as well as those surrounding social distancing, masks and sanitization.

As one example, the press release states “if a positive case attends a social event while infectious, and social distancing or mask usage are not maintained, there is the potential that FCCHD staff may have to require a 14-day quarantine for a large number of people that attended the event. According to the CDC, individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are infectious for 48 hours prior to exhibiting symptoms.”

Last Thursday, the Flathead County Board of Health voted against enacting further measures to prevent community spread of COVID-19 in Flathead County, but officials said the topic would be revisited soon if case numbers continue to climb.

“The increasing number of positive cases and the evidence of widespread community transmission have brought Flathead County to a point where tough decisions need to be made,” Robinson said. “The growing rate of COVID-19 in our community is not sustainable for our healthcare system, our public health staff, and our schools. We have to decide what is more important- social gatherings or keeping our schools and businesses open. It is up to all of us to slow the spread.”

On Monday, Montana’s COVID-19 Task Force reported Flathead County gained an additional 52 cases, bringing the area’s total active case count to 1,377, the second highest number in the state. The area has seen 23 COVID-19 fatalities to date.

For more information on Flathead County cases go to https://flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com