Governor Gianforte Tells Dave & Ally His Plan for Masks

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte spent some time with Dave & Ally on the XL Morning show Tuesday talking about COVID vaccines, his new COVID orders for the state, jobs for Montanans, and more. You can listen to the interview in its entirety below.

Governor Gianforte was elected in November 2020, becoming the first Republican governor in the state of Montana since 2005. During his campaign, Gianforte emphasized rebuilding Montana's economy and said he supported personal ownership regarding masks, as opposed to state mandates to keep everyone safe.

Last Friday, the governor rolled back his predecessor Steve Bullock's COVID directives for restaurants, bars, and gyms. While Gianforte's new orders were less restrictive than the rules we currently have in Gallatin County, the Health Board issued a statement saying that we will remain under current COVID mandates and not the new orders issued last week by the governor.

In the interview with Dave & Ally this morning, Governor Gianforte announced that Montana is moving into Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. This makes the COVID-19 vaccine available now to Montanans 70 years of age and older, 16 to 69 years of age with a high-risk medical condition, and Native Americans and other persons of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications.

 “Focusing on the most vulnerable Montanans in our vaccine distribution will save lives. Thanks to the hard work of our local health jurisdictions and health care workers, Montana’s most vulnerable now have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,” Governor Gianforte said.

To date, 57,221 doses have been administered in Montana, and 9,408 Montanans have been fully immunized.