Health department to no longer alert all close contacts to COVID exposure

Public health officials announced Thursday the Flathead City-County Health Department is no longer able to alert all close contacts to their possible exposure of COVID-19 as case workloads continue to outpace staff capabilities.

According to a press release from the health department, Flathead County is experiencing a “troubling” surge of COVID-19 cases that is “placing additional strain on local schools, health-care systems, and public health staff.”

Although the department no longer has the time or resources to reach all of those potentially exposed, staff is still able to contact all individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and can still conduct case investigations.

The press release states, “in order to manage the mounting workload, case investigators are now focusing their efforts on contacting and quarantining close contacts that belong to higher-risk groups, such as the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and those who work in restaurant, school, or health-care settings.”

Individuals who do not fall into a high-risk group may not receive direct notification from the health department that they are a close contact. And during the case investigation process, those who test positive are asked to notify any other close contacts of their potential exposure. All close contacts should self-quarantine at home for 14 days from their last exposure.

“Our case numbers are outpacing our staff’s capacity,” Interim Health Officer Tamalee St James Robinson said in a prepared statement. “We’re seeing widespread community transmission stemming from social gatherings, large events, and restaurants and bars. Our department is utilizing all possible resources to manage the surge, but the community needs to continue doing their part to help mitigate the spread.”

According to the press release, Flathead County has received 283 new cases in the past three days alone. To date, there have been 27 COVID-19-related deaths in the area.

“Nothing is certain, but with the way our case rates and hospitalizations are going, I think we will continue dealing with COVID-19 in Flathead County for quite some time,” Robinson said. “As a community we need to step up and take COVID-19 precautions seriously. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

Instructions on how to quarantine, monitor symptoms and prevent the spread of COVID-19 can be found on the Flathead City-County Health Department website at

https://flatheadhealth.org/close-contact-information/