‘A long ways from everything’: In Montana, distance is shaping the coronavirus response
BUTTE, Mont. — The little town of Libby, a former mining hub of 2,700 that’s closer to Canada and Idaho than to most of Montana’s big cities, is no stranger to distances. So when Montana’s governor announced on March 15 that the state’s schools were closing as a social distancing measure to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus, Libby schools superintendent Craig Barringer responded differently than his colleagues in more densely populated states.
Two-thirds of the 800 students in his far-flung district ride the bus and probably wouldn’t be able to come to school to collect lunches or homework assignments. Instead, the schools would deliver to them. He posted sign-up sheets and within hours had 16 buses full of teams of two ready to go.
“We’re pretty isolated,” Barringer said in interview. “It’s a
