Covid-19 In Montana: April 6, 2020

In this, our first remote interview, we talk with Raph Graybill, Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Steve Bullock who’s work on the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force involves the Governor’s Directives in response to the crisis such as closing schools and businesses, stay at home directives, all mail ballots in the June primary, and other actions necessary to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 in the state. In this interview Raph gives us a look inside the decision-making process that informs the actions Governor Bullock has taken to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.  He explains how, prior to declaring a State of Emergency in Montana on March 13, 2020, Governor Bullock established the Coronavirus Task Force. The Task Force is made up of representatives from the Department of Military Affairs (the agency that runs both the Montana National Guard and the Department of Emergency Services), the Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Labor Department, the Department of Education, the Montana Chief Medical Officer, epidemiologists, doctors and other public health officials. He describes how the Governor’s office and various Montana agencies have been monitoring the coronavirus since it emerged out of Asia, began spreading across the globe, flared up in western Washington state, and continued to spread across the United States. By setting up the task force in advance and through surveillance gathering from the time Covid-19 first emerged, the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force has set up a structure to quickly respond to the issues this pandemic presents to the health and safety of all Montanans. For a comprehensive overview of the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force and to get the latest information regarding Covid-19 visit the website:  https://covid19.mt.gov/ Note: For more on Raph Graybill listen to APRTI Episode 17, February 17, 2020, Raph Graybill, Candidate for Attorney General.