2020 Stories of the Year graphic
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) – As the world rang in the New Year this time last year, health officials in China were reporting a cluster of cases of what they deemed as pneumonia in the Wuhan, Hubei Province. It would shortly thereafter be identified as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
In a span of three months South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota would find themselves within the epicenter of a global pandemic with three different approaches.
In the month of March, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota would all report their first cases of Covid-19 days apart. All three states, coming under fire or praise for their individual approaches to mitigating the disease.
On March 3, three individuals returning to Johnson County, Iowa from a cruise in Egypt were the first known cases of Covid-19 in the state, shortly after Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds ordered the closure of all schools and businesses. Minnesota would report its first case on March 1, by month’s end, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would sign executive order 20-20, stating that all Minnesotans were to shelter in place. South Dakota would not be far behind as Governor Kristi Noem declared a state of emergency on March 13, three days after the state announced its first four cases.
The uniformity would eventually fall by the wayside as Minnesota throughout the pandemic would remain steadfast to its imposed restrictions. Walz would issue executive order 20-33 on April 10, extending the state’s original stay at home order. It wouldn’t be until May that some businesses would be able to open at 25-50% capacity. A month later on July 22, Governor Tim Walz would announce a statewide mask mandate. But Walz himself would not escape scrutiny as anti-lockdown protesters rallied around the governors’ home in November, referring to the lockdown as unconstitutional.
Governors Noem and Reynolds would set different courses for their respective states. No executive orders demanding residents stay at home would be issued, but instead orders that encouraged following the CDC’s guidelines on mitigation. Stay-at-home restrictions in South Dakota were short-lived, as Noem rescinded her call that ordered the elderly and those with chronic and pre-existing conditions to do so on May 11. Reynolds followed suit shortly after announcing that restrictions on restaurants, libraries, and fitness centers be lifted as of May 15.
Both Noem and Reynolds would also find themselves defending at times similar mitigation approaches. Noem has argued since the onset of the pandemic that her decisions stem from a belief that people are solely responsible for their well-being. Though Iowa at times seemed to share its hands-off approach with its neighbor to the northwest, Governor Kim Reynolds in November would eventually issue a mask mandate of her own, that would prohibit all social, community, recreational, leisure or sporting gathering with more than 25 people indoors or 100 people outdoors unless all people over the age of two wear masks.
Since the start of the pandemic, local governments across Iowa and South Dakota have found themselves adopting ordinances to aid in mitigation efforts contrary to their governors’ stances, cities such as Sioux Falls in South Dakota has extended a mask mandate until March 2021. In August Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie signed an emergency proclamation making face coverings mandatory in public places whenever proper social distance cannot be maintained, a mandate that will not be overturned unless circumstances warrant a change, that’s according to the city’s website.
As of December 22, 2020, South Dakota stands at 87,252 confirmed cases, Iowa 269,203, and Minnesota 401,011. Like most things today in American society the crisis that has taken almost 320,000 lives in the U.S. has been politicized. How each of the governors handled the ongoing pandemic differs along political party lines. But as the vaccines for this disease are rolled out how one governor handled the pandemic hopefully won’t be the topic of choice, but instead how we honor those who weren’t so fortunate to see its end.
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