PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) — Governor Kristi Noem says that on Tuesday, April 28, she will unveil her “Back to Normal” plan for South Dakota.
She refuses to reveal any details until the announcement and talks about the plan only in the most general of terms.
“It will look at the executive order that we have in place and some changes and some recommendations going forward.”
Noem has had a review committee looking at strategies for re-opening the state for business, based on the latest COVID-19 data. Several other states, including Iowa, are already starting the back-to- business process.
The Governor hopes that the Smithfield Plant in Sioux Falls will re-open as soon as possible. Reporters at her daily briefing in Pierre try to pin her down on a date, like what about sometime this week?
“I hope it would be. It’s up to Smithfield, really. At this point, the ball is in their court.”
Smithfield has been closed for weeks with hundreds of COVID-19 cases, putting a deep dent in the industry’s ability to get pork into the food supply chain.
South Dakota Health Secretary, Kim Malsam-Rysdon, says one of the challenges for Smithfield is incorporating all CDC recommendations in facilities that are over 100-years-old.
Malsam-Rysdon also talks about the racial disparities in COVID-19 cases in South Dakota. She says, for example, that blacks make up a tiny percentage of the population yet represent about 20 percent of the cases. It may be because most cases are in the cities where the populations are more diverse. She says there is a positive side to the statistics.
“The American Indian rate is four percent. So, that’s actually less than what their population density would indicate.”
