Dakotas virus data ‘disturbing’

Governors, much of public nevertheless resist mask mandate

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The rate of coronavirus infections in the Dakotas is growing faster than anywhere else in the nation, fueling impassioned debates over masks and personal freedom after months in which the two states avoided the worst of the pandemic.

The argument over masks raged this week in Brookings, South Dakota, as the City Council considered requiring face coverings in businesses. The city was forced to move its meeting to a local arena to accommodate intense interest, with many citizens speaking against it, before the mask requirement ultimately passed.

North Dakota and South Dakota lead the country in new cases per capita over the past two weeks, ranking first and second respectively, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

South Dakota has also posted some of the country’s highest positivity rates for COVID-19 tests in the past week, over 17 percent, an indication that there are more infections than tests are catching.

The Dakotas were not always a hot spot. For months, the states appeared to avoid the worst of the pandemic, watching from afar as it raged through large cities. But spiking infection rates have fanned out across the nation, from the East Coast to the Sun Belt and now into the Midwest, where states like Iowa and Kansas are also dealing with surges.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem have resisted mask requirements.

But both governors face increasing pressure to step up their approach.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, told MSNBC that the states’ virus levels are “disturbing,” especially as fall weather arrives and Americans begin spending more time indoors.

“You don’t want to start off already with a baseline that’s so high,” Fauci said.

In other nationwide developments:

■ Missouri has topped 100,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ coronavirus dashboard cited 1,974 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 101,134.

■ Arizona Department of Health Services officials on Saturday reported more than 600 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths as the state’s coronavirus outbreak continues to slow.

The additional 605 cases increased the statewide total to 208,128 as the death toll increased to 5,315.

The number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 reported by the department continued to drop, a trend that began in July after the state became a national hot spot in June.