Missoula COVID-19 Incident Commander Shares Her Concerns About Reopening

Missoula County’s COVID-19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr was caught short by the Governor’s reopening announcement on Wednesday and was scrambling to adjust the county’s policies, specifically about the opening of hair and nail salons.

“We have a hair dresser that is going to be chatting with our team,” Farr said. “She has some ideas of how things might work right now. I know that the governor is requesting that if you are going to be in those kinds of places to try and wear a mask anytime it is feasible for you. Don’t go if you are sick. Make sure that you cancel that appointment if you are having any kind of symptoms at all.”

Farr also commented on the complications of sending children back to school, first with the issue of a good percentage of students being vulnerable to COVID-19, but also what happens when they return to their homes after being in school all day.

“We also have to worry about those school children who have vulnerable populations at home too,” Farr said. “Anyone who has had children knows that there is absolutely no way that you are going to be able to keep kids six feet apart from each other for an entire school day and especially the younger that they get. We definitely have to take some of those things into consideration.”

Farr said she wants to impress on all Missoula residents that the COVID-19 pandemic is still in effect and precautions must be taken to stay safe.

“It is still really important that they realize we do have disease in our community,” Farr said. “Try to keep practicing those social distancing measures as much as you possibly can. Just because we are starting to open things up does not mean that you are at less risk. You are still at risk of developing the disease and probably at more risk because that means more people will be out doing things.”

Farr produces a You Tube video every day on the Missoula City County Health Department’s website.