Screenings for COVID-19 begin at train depot, airport

Screening of passengers at Glacier Park International Airport and Whitefish train depot for COVID-19 began Friday.

Gov. Steve Bullock activated 73 Montana Army and Air National Guard men and women for State Active Duty in response to COVID-19. The Soldiers and Airmen are being used in 11 cities and 17 locations around the state to screen passengers.

Passengers from Amtrak’s Empire Builder train, which travels daily through Whitefish, will be screened.

The Soldiers and Airmen are located at airports in Bozeman, Billings, Kalispell, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls and Butte. They are at train stations in Whitefish, Havre, Shelby and Wolf Point.

“Per the Governor’s directive, the Guardsmen will be tasked to screen individuals arriving in Montana from other states and countries through our airports and train stations,” said Major General Matthew Quinn, the Adjutant General and Montana COVID-19 Task Force Leader, in a press release. “Screening will include all arriving passengers at the airport terminals and most privately owned fixed base operations located at these major airports.”

Additionally, each location will have a Montana National Guard liaison officer to work with local Disaster and Emergency Services representatives, public health officials, airport management and Transportation Safety Administration officials. The liaison will work with each team to monitor inbound flight and train arrivals.

Prior to being staged at the airports and train station, all Guardsmen were trained in how to properly screen, wear protective equipment and be fully versed on the governor’s directive for execution, according to the release.

“At the request of the Governor, Montana National Guardsman volunteers are stepping forward across the state to assist in the on-going effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Quinn said. “In this time of need, the National Guard team will conduct screening with professionalism and will always treat Montana citizens and visitors with the dignity and respect they are entitled to. We are preparing our Soldiers and Airmen to respond to all future requests for assistance to support communities across the state.”