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\r\n<\/p>\r\nIn the heat of one of the worst COVID-19<\/a> outbreaks in Montana, Flathead County\u2019s interim public health officer is resigning.\u00a0 <\/P>\r\n\r\nOn November 27, Tamalee St. James Robinson told the Flathead County Commission and the Flathead City-County Board of Health that she will step down from her position Decenber 31. She also wrote that she will not be returning to her seat on the health board, which she had temporarily vacated over the summer to take over for the county\u2019s previous health officer, who left for another job.\u00a0 <\/P>\r\n\r\nIn her resignation letter, Robinson pointedly blamed both the health board and county commissioners for politicizing the virus that has killed 39 people in Flathead County and nearly 700 people across the state.\u00a0 <\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s clear that the underlying motivation by several members of your groups is more closely aligned with ideological biases than the simple desire to do what\u2019s best for the health of the community,\u201d Robinson wrote.\u00a0 <\/P>\r\n For more information and to read the full directive, please visit https:\/\/covid19.mt.gov\/<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t <\/p>\r\nAs of December 1, Flathead County had 2,095 known active cases of the virus. Since March, Flathead County has had more than 6,800 confirmed cases of the virus, mostly in the last few weeks. While other counties have instituted various controls to try to slow the spread, \r\nFlathead County has not, and its health board failed twice to institute a proposal to limit indoor gatherings to 500 people<\/a>. Before \r\nGov. Steve Bullock issued a statewide order prohibiting public gatherings of 25 people<\/a>\r\nor more when social distancing is not possible, other counties had capped gatherings at 25 or 50 people. Despite the governor\u2019s new crowd-size restrictions, a craft fair was held this past weekend in Kalispell, \r\nagainst Robinson\u2019s recommendation<\/a>. Robinson handed in her resignation the same day \r\nChristmas at the Fairgrounds began<\/a>.\u00a0\r\n <\/P>\r\n\r\nIn the letter, Robinson wrote that lack of support for the health department from both the health board and the county commission has resulted in low morale and numerous staff resignations.\u00a0 <\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cSpiking COVID-19 case numbers, along with an increasing number of deaths, have been met with nearly complete inaction by your groups, versus any type of reasonable mitigating response,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThe Commissioners\u2019 and the Board\u2019s failure to enact or publicly support even the most basic recommendations regarding mask usage, along with any type of recommended group meeting restrictions, has not only increased public health risk, but it has also demonstrated a clear lack of support for the county health department.\u201d <\/P>\r\n\r\nBill Burg, acting chair of the health board, said he is sorry to see Robinson leave, but that he is not surprised, either.\u00a0 <\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cShe was taking so much abuse and she was tired of it,\u201d he said. \u201cShe just had enough.\u201d <\/P>\r\n\r\n![\"Flathead](\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/28\/126166113_10158425863661628_198425713859186888_n.jpg\")
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