COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota
The COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of August 17, 2020, South Dakota public health authorities reported 86 new COVID-19 cases but no deaths. There have been 10,360 confirmed cases, 921 hospitalizations, and 153 deaths in South Dakota due to COVID-19.[1]. Over the past month the seven day moving average of new cases has nearly doubled, from 55 cases per day on July 17 to 100 cases per day on August 17.[1]
COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota | |
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Map of the outbreak in South Dakota by confirmed new infections per 100,000 people (14 days preceding August 17)
500+ confirmed new cases
200–500 confirmed new cases
100–200 confirmed new cases
50–100 confirmed new cases
20–50 confirmed new cases
10–20 confirmed new cases
0–10 confirmed new cases
No confirmed new cases or no data | |
Map of the outbreak in South Dakota by total confirmed infections per 100,000 people (as of August 17)
3,000+ confirmed infected
1,000–3,000 confirmed infected
300–1,000 confirmed infected
100–300 confirmed infected
30–100 confirmed infected
0–30 confirmed infected
No confirmed infected or no data | |
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | South Dakota, U.S. |
First outbreak | Wuhan, China |
Index case | Beadle, Charles Mix, Davison, Minnehaha counties |
Arrival date | March 10, 2020 |
Confirmed cases | 10,360 |
Hospitalized cases | 921 (cumulative) 60 (current) |
Recovered | 9,013 |
Deaths | 153 |
Government website | |
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The first cases and death from COVID-19 in South Dakota were announced on March 10. In April 2020, a major outbreak at a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls caused Minnehaha County to become the state's epicenter of the pandemic, accounting for nearly 3,000 confirmed cases alone by May 11. Despite these events, the state was one of several to have not employed a formal stay-at-home order—leaving them and similar restrictions to the responsibility of municipalities.
Timeline
On March 10, Governor Kristi Noem's office announced the first four cases, and one death in a man in his 60s with underlying health conditions; all patients had recently traveled outside South Dakota.[2]
On April 9, over 80 employees at a Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls were confirmed to have COVID-19. The plant announced it would suspend operations beginning April 11.[3] By that day, Smithfield employees accounted for the majority of active cases in South Dakota. Some activity continued at the plant on April 14, as it planned to shut down completely.[4] On April 15, 438 Smithfield employees tested positive for COVID-19.[5]
On June 4, Noem announced that Mount Rushmore's Independence Day festivities on July 3 would go on as originally scheduled and planned, with no additional reduction in ticketed capacity (beyond the number of tickets having already been lowered to 7,500, in a decision that was made prior to the pandemic) or "enforcement" of social distancing, and with President Trump expected to attend. Secretary of Tourism Jim Hagen stated that "we're doing everything we can to work diligently to make this a safe and fun event for all attendees." Noem downplayed the possibility that the event could lead to new outbreaks, arguing that the state "[hasn't] even come close to reaching the capacity of the amount of people that we can take care of."[6] The majority of the audience did not practice social distancing or wear face masks.[7]
After the event, it was reported that Noem had interacted with Kimberly Guilfoyle—a Trump aide who later tested positive for COVID-19, and flew back to Washington, D.C. on Air Force One. On July 7, Noem stated that she had tested negative, stated that Guilfoyle was asymptomatic, and claimed that "the science of the virus tells us that it's very, very difficult to spread the virus when you're asymptomatic". Noem added that it was "incredibly important that we do what we can to mitigate the spread of this virus, but we also know that we can't stop it."[8][9]
On August 3, 96 out of 328 people who attended Camp Judson, a Christian summer camp near Keystone, tested positive for COVID-19, with an average age of 15 years old.[10]
Despite the pandemic, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is still occurring as scheduled for ten days on August 7-16[11], with an estimated 250,000 expected to attend.[12] Although the rally itself was classified by infectious disease professor Carlos del Rio as being of a relatively lower risk due to being held outside, concerns were raised that attendees would engage in indoor gatherings at bars and restaurants, and that travelers could potentially export COVID-19 cases back to their home states from the event. Mayor of Sturgis Mark Carstensen questioned why the event still went on, admitting that "we cannot stop people from coming" [13] Attendees are encouraged, but not required to wear a facemask.[12]
Response
On March 13, Governor Kristi Noem declared a state of emergency. Schools were closed beginning March 16.[14][15] On April 6, Noem ordered vulnerable residents of Lincoln and Minnehaha counties who are 65 years of age or older or have a chronic condition to stay home until further notice.[16] The order was lifted May 11.[17]
In contrast to the majority of states (but in line with other rural, Republican-led states such as Nebraska), Governor Noem resisted imposing a mandatory, state-wide stay-at-home order, having argued that "the people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety", and that she wanted to respect their rights to "exercise their right to work, to worship and to play. Or to even stay at home".[18][19] Following the lead of President Donald Trump, Noem also promoted the unproven use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms.[19]
Local responses
Noem has faced criticism from residents, as well as other city and county leaders, for her lack of state-wide action, especially after the outbreak in Sioux Falls. The resistance has forced municipalities to implement their own ordinances to enforce social distancing, including Sioux Falls—which enacted a "no lingering" ordinance on March 26 to restrict all non-essential businesses to only serving a maximum of 10 customers at a time.[20][21]
Mayor of Sioux Falls Paul TenHaken introduced a proposal for a municipal stay-at-home order on April 14,[22] but it was rejected by city council.[23][18][5][19] On May 8, the "no lingering" ordinance was eased ("no mingling") to allow restaurants to expand to capacity (subject to six-foot social distancing between patrons), and fitness, entertainment, and recreation facilities to expand to half of their licensed capacity, or 10, whichever is greater.[24] On May 19, TenHaken tabled a proposal to sunset the ordinance, citing a slowing in new cases in the city since the new ordinance was implemented. City Health Director Jill Franken also reported that the number of hospitalizations in the area was lower than projected. On May 26, Sioux Falls City Council voted in favor, with the ordinance officially repealed on May 29.[25][26]
Tribal responses
The Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge Sioux reservations have established highway checkpoints to regulate access to their territory.[27][28] On May 8, Governor Noem sent letters to the two tribes' leaders, declaring the checkpoints illegal for "interfering with or regulating traffic on US and state highways" without permission, and threatening a federal lawsuit if not removed.[29][30] The Oglala and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes maintained their checkpoints due to safety concerns.[31]
On May 12, Noem sent a second letter to the leader of the Cheyenne River reservation, clarifying that it was within their rights of tribal sovereignty to establish checkpoints on roads leading into their reservation (rather than the highway itself) to help protect their populations, as long as they provide "reasonable access" for essential goods, emergency services, and access to private property situated on the land.[32] On May 20, after the tribes continued the checkpoints, Noem sought assistance from the federal government in resolving the dispute.[33] On June 24, the Cheyenne River Sioux filed a lawsuit against the federal government.[34]
Statistics
County [lower-alpha 1] | Cases [lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] | Deaths [lower-alpha 3] | Recov. [lower-alpha 3] | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
48 / 66 | 6,716 | 91 | 5,818 | |
Aurora | 34 | 0 | 33 | |
Beadle | 523 | 6 | 444 | |
Bennett | 5 | 0 | 2 | |
Bon Homme | 11 | 0 | 11 | |
Brookings | 61 | 0 | 47 | |
Brown | 342 | 2 | 318 | |
Brule | 20 | 0 | 12 | |
Buffalo | 71 | 1 | 56 | |
Butte | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Campbell | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Charles Mix | 75 | 0 | 26 | |
Clark | 14 | 0 | 10 | |
Clay | 80 | 0 | 69 | |
Codington | 61 | 0 | 47 | |
Corson | 17 | 0 | 14 | |
Custer | 8 | 0 | 4 | |
Davison | 40 | 0 | 31 | |
Day | 16 | 0 | 13 | |
Deuel | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
Dewey | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
Douglas | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
Edmunds | 7 | 0 | 5 | |
Fall River | 12 | 0 | 5 | |
Faulk | 23 | 1 | 17 | |
Grant | 13 | 0 | 13 | |
Gregory | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
Haakon | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Hamlin | 11 | 0 | 9 | |
Hand | 7 | 0 | 6 | |
Hanson | 7 | 0 | 4 | |
Harding | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Hughes | 52 | 0 | 33 | |
Hutchinson | 12 | 0 | 9 | |
Hyde | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
Jackson | 6 | 1 | 2 | |
Jerauld | 39 | 1 | 35 | |
Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Kingsbury | 6 | 0 | 3 | |
Lake | 21 | 1 | 16 | |
Lawrence | 19 | 0 | 15 | |
Lincoln | 341 | 1 | 312 | |
Lyman | 59 | 0 | 37 | |
Marshall | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
McCook | 10 | 1 | 6 | |
McPherson | 4 | 0 | 3 | |
Meade | 47 | 1 | 38 | |
Mellette | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
Miner | 9 | 0 | 3 | |
Minnehaha | 3,600 | 57 | 3,332 | |
Moody | 21 | 0 | 19 | |
Oglala Lakota | 85 | 0 | 45 | |
Pennington | 513 | 16 | 368 | |
Perkins | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Potter | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Roberts | 45 | 0 | 40 | |
Sanborn | 12 | 0 | 12 | |
Spink | 11 | 0 | 6 | |
Stanley | 12 | 0 | 12 | |
Sully | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Todd | 57 | 1 | 48 | |
Tripp | 16 | 0 | 10 | |
Turner | 24 | 0 | 23 | |
Union | 121 | 1 | 109 | |
Walworth | 9 | 0 | 5 | |
Yankton | 78 | 0 | 62 | |
Ziebach | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
Updated June 29, 2020 Data is publicly reported by South Dakota Department of Health (SD-DOH)[35] | ||||
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See also
- Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States – for impact on the country
- COVID-19 pandemic – for impact on other countries
References
- "Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates and Information". South Dakota Dept. of Health COVID-19 Daily Update. July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- "South Dakota reports 5 'presumptive positive' cases of coronavirus with one death". Argus Leader. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- "Smithfield Temporarily Shuts Pork Plant Due to Coronavirus". US News and World Report. 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- "One of the largest pork processing facilities in the US is closing until further notice". CNN. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- "South Dakota governor faces criticism over refusal to issue stay-at-home order after pork plant outbreak". CNN. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- "South Dakota will not enforce social distancing at Mount Rushmore Fourth of July event". The Hill. June 4, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- Kaczke, Lisa; Khalyleh, Hana. "Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore: See the packed, mostly mask-free crowd". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
- Kaczke, Lisa. "Gov. Kristi Noem flew on Air Force Once after close contact with positive coronavirus case". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- Riess, Rebekah; Kelly, Caroline. "Noem says she has tested negative for coronavirus after being exposed to top Trump campaign official". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- Matzen, Morgan (August 3, 2020). "DOH now reports 96 cases of COVID-19 from Camp Judson near Keystone". Rapid City Journal. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- "Sturgis Motorcycle Rally FAQ and Statistics". sturgismotorcyclerally.com. The City Of Sturgis Rally and Events Department. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
80th Rally, Aug. 7th-16th
- Shannon, Joel (August 7, 2020). "No masks required as 250,000 expected at 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Here's what to know". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Kallingal, Mallika; Toropin, Konstantin; Said, Samira; Young, Ryan. "Riders begin to gather in South Dakota for biker rally". CNN.com. CNN. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- "Noem signs State of Emergency order; Requests schools to close throughout South Dakota next week". KELOLAND.com. Nexstar Media Group. March 13, 2020.
- Hayworth, Bret. "Noem orders South Dakota K-12 schools to close next week; Iowa, Nebraska holding off on similar moves". Sioux City Journal.
- "New executive order will target Minnehaha & Lincoln Counties". KELOLAND.com. 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- Kaczke, Lisa. "Gov. Kristi Noem lifts stay-at-home order for those 65+ in Sioux Falls area". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- McGreal, Chris (2020-04-21). "'I believe in our freedoms': the governor who resists lockdown and stresses American liberty". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- Wittle, Griff (2020-04-13). "South Dakota's governor resisted ordering people to stay home. Now it has one of the nation's largest coronavirus hot spots". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- Sneve, Joe. "Coronavirus restrictions on bars, restaurants have Sioux Falls owners clamoring for change". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- Conlon, Shelly. "TenHaken clarifies businesses covered by proposed 'no more than 10' ordinance". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- "Mayor TenHaken to propose stay at home order to City Council because of coronavirus numbers". kelo.com. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- "No stay-at-home order for Sioux Falls but additional steps likely to help health care facilities handle the COVID-19 peak". KELOLAND.com. Nexstar Media Group. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- "Sioux Falls City Council passes ordinance reducing some COVID-19 restrictions". Dakota News Now. Gray Television. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- Sneve, Joe. "COVID-19 restrictions on Sioux Falls businesses repealed". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- "Sioux Falls City Council advances motion to repeal 'no mingling' ordinance". Dakota News Now. Gray Television. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- Kaczke, Lisa. "Pine Ridge Reservation on coronavirus lockdown until Wednesday". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- Zionts, Arielle. "Rules, reality and rumors at COVID-19 reservation checkpoints". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- Lakhani, Nina (2020-05-14). "South Dakota governor threatens to sue over Sioux's coronavirus roadblocks". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- "South Dakota Sioux tribe refuses to take down checkpoints that governor says are illegal". CNN. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- "South Dakota tribes defy governor and maintain checkpoints in coronavirus fight". NBC News. May 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- "South Dakota's governor will allow checkpoints on tribal roads, but not state highways in a possible compromise". CNN. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- "Dispute over South Dakota tribal checkpoints escalates after Gov. Kristi Noem seeks federal help". NBC News. May 21, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- Walker, Mark; Cochrane, Emily (2020-06-24). "Tribe in South Dakota Seeks Court Ruling Over Standoff on Blocking Virus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates and Information". South Dakota Department of Health. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota. |
- Information from the South Dakota Department of Health.