HELENA,
Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte this morning issued two new directives and an
executive order.
The
first directive rescinds and replaces all prior directives implementing
Executive Order 2-2021, which the governor issued on January 13, 2021.
Consistent
with the governor’s announcement on February 10, the new directive allows the
statewide mask mandate to expire. Local jurisdictions may still choose to
implement their own mask requirements.
“Since
January 5th, I have provided a clear, consistent path to rescinding the mask
mandate,”
Governor Gianforte said. “First, we need to start getting the vaccine to our
most vulnerable. Second, we need to protect businesses, nonprofits, places of
worship, and health care providers from lawsuits if they make a good faith
effort to protect individuals from the spread of coronavirus and follow clear
public health guidelines. We have met both criteria, and the statewide mandate
expires today.”
Governor
Gianforte emphasized how providing incentives and encouraging personal
responsibility are more effective than imposing impractical, unenforceable
government mandates.
On
February 10, Governor Gianforte signed S.B. 65 into law which provides a
liability shield to businesses, nonprofits, and others who protect their
workers, their customers, and their clients from the spread of COVID-19.
“We
will provide incentives to protect the health and safety of Montanans, and we
will emphasize personal responsibility. Since we’re not out of the woods yet, I
will continue wearing a mask and encourage all Montanans to do the same to
protect themselves, their loved ones, and their neighbors,”
Governor Gianforte
said.
As
of this morning, Montanans have administered more than 167,000 doses, and
nearly 47,000 Montanans are fully immunized.
The
state remains in Phase 1B of its vaccine distribution plan, which the governor
updated on January 6 to protect the most vulnerable Montanans, including people
70 years of age and older, Montanans 16 years of age and older who have severe
underlying medical conditions, and Native Americans and other persons of color
who are at a heightened risk of severe COVID-19-related complications.
In
keeping with Governor Gianforte’s January 13 directive which removed
restrictions on hours of service and capacity for businesses, today’s directive
continues to encourage businesses to adopt industry best practices or public
health guidance to protect their employees and customers.
Today’s
directive also continues to promote the use of telehealth services, protect
vulnerable Montanans from eviction or foreclosure, ease licensing for health
care professionals, and reduce regulatory burdens.
The
second directive repeals the election-related directive dated August 6, 2020.
The governor also issued Executive Order 3-2021 which rescinds Executive Order
15-2018.
“Our
Constitution makes it plain as day: the Legislature makes our laws, not the
governor and not the courts,”
Governor Gianforte said. “It’s the
responsibility of our Legislature to determine how Montana’s elections are
conducted, and it’s the responsibility of our Legislature to determine whether
an individual must disclose donations to a nonprofit group.”
“These
issues are up to the Legislature now, which is where they should have been
decided all along,”
Gianforte said.
View
the directive implementing
Executive
Order 2-2021
; Executive
Order 3-2021
, and directive
repealing election-related August 6, 2020 directive
HERE.