Missoula craft stores closed; deemed 'nonessential'

"We know it's getting old people are getting tired of having to be quarantined at home," said Missoula City-County Health Department Incident Commander Cindy Farr. "People are tired of having to have all of this disruption, but really in order to protect our healthccare infrastructure, this is what we have to do the slow the spread."

Therriault said other businesses such as vape and tobacco stores have also been required to close in Montana, while landscaping businesses, on the other hand, were reversed from a nonessential to essential business because landscapers need supplies for work.

People with questions or concerns about whether a business in Missoula should be open can call the Environmental Health Division at 406-258-4755 or email envhealth@missoulacounty.us.

Therriault said the craft stores closed voluntarily but if businesses do not comply, a local health officer would write an order for the business to close and inform the county attorney if necessary.

"The whole point of the order is for people to stay home as much as possible and reduce all of the workers' and all of their customers' potential exposure to COVID," Therriault said. "It's like, 'What do we need to keep our society moving forward but keep as many people home as possible?'"

Therriault noted that ordering craft supplies and fabric online is still possible, although it may not be as convenient as being able to drive to the stores in person. Therriault also noted that although people should stay home, big-box retailers such as Walmart and Target also carry much of the same merchandise.

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