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 June 24, 2020, there have been 6,419 confirmed cases, 5,554 recoveries, and 84 deaths.
COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota | |
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Map of the outbreak in South Dakota by confirmed infections per 100,000 people (as of June 26)
1,000+ confirmed infected
500–1,000 confirmed infected
100–500 confirmed infected
20–100 confirmed infected
0–20 confirmed infected | |
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 | 6,419 |
Hospitalized cases | 629 (cumulative) 81 (current) |
Recovered | 5,554 |
Deaths | 84 |
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] On April 15, 438 Smithfield employees tested positive for COVID-19.[4]
Response
On March 13, Governor Kristi Noem declared a state of emergency. Schools were closed beginning March 16.[5][6] 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.[7] The order was lifted May 11.[8]
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".[9][10] Following the lead of President Donald Trump, Noem also promoted the unproven use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms.[10]
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."[11]
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.[12][13]
Mayor of Sioux Falls Paul TenHaken introduced a proposal for a municipal stay-at-home order on April 14,[14] but it was rejected by city council.[15][9][4][10] 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.[16] 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.[17][18]
Tribal responses
The Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge Sioux reservations have established highway checkpoints to regulate access to their territory.[19][20] 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.[21][22] The Oglala and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes maintained their checkpoints due to safety concerns.[23]
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.[24] On May 20, after the tribes continued the checkpoints, Noem sought assistance from the federal government in resolving the dispute.[25] On June 24, the Cheyenne River Sioux filed a lawsuit against the federal government.[26]
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)[27] | ||||
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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
- "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.
- "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.
- "South Dakota will not enforce social distancing at Mount Rushmore Fourth of July event". The Hill. June 4, 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- 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.