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I am writing today with dire news from the ground here in Montana. Yesterday, we hit a new daily record for new COVID cases, ICU beds are at 86% capacity, case positivity is almost 18%, and we have the third-highest rate of new cases in the United States.
I am meeting every single day with Montanans who have lost or are at risk of losing loved ones. Families are saying goodbye via phone as their loved ones die without any family by their sides. Hospitals are hitting and exceeding capacity, and our health workers are risking their lives to keep us safe (as of Oct. 1, 1700 U.S. health workers had died of COVID).
Fear has become reality, and it is devastating.
In this moment, we need strong, clear guidance and role modeling from our leaders. Yet we have elected leaders ignoring public health guidance and violating the existing mask and gathering mandates. Two weeks ago, Congressman Greg Gianforte flaunted our own state mandates and attended a large unmasked concert. The event has now been identified as a potential superspreader event.
In response, I, together with 110 nurses, doctors, caregivers and public health professionals from across Montana called on our Congressman to do the right thing - listen to the science and keep our communities and health workers safe.
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