Governor Greg Gianforte issued a new directive on Wednesday to replace several guidelines related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor’s directive repeals some restrictions on small businesses in Montana, including restrictions on opening hours and capacity.
In a press release, Gianforte said that “small business owners in Montana have worked to create a safe environment for their employees and customers, keeping the doors open. The new directive recognizes the diversity of challenges that companies face in this pandemic and gives them flexibility to develop and implement appropriate policies based on industry best practices. “
The guideline replaces the limit of 25 people in public meetings with a simple guideline that “any public meetings or events must be managed in order to accommodate the CDC’s social distance guidelines”.
Where there are no industry best practices, the governor’s directive states that “such policies must be developed and implemented in accordance with federal, state and local regulations and guidelines”.
Gianforte also plotted a way to terminate the mask’s mandate across the state. First, the most vulnerable people in Montana are being vaccinated. Second, the legislature sends a measure to its table to protect businesses and schools from lawsuits if they make a good faith effort to protect individuals from the spread of coronavirus and follow clear public health guidelines.
The new guidance takes effect at 5:00 am on Friday, January 15. Click here to read the full document.
“Improving our response to the pandemic has been my top priority,” said Gianforte. “Today, I am issuing a new directive that removes or replaces complicated layers with existing ones. These new guidelines are clear. They are practical. They are common sense. And they are easy to understand. “