LAW & ORDER?

North Dakota Finally Has a Mask Order. These Sheriffs Won’t Enforce It.

Gov. Doug Burgum finally put a mandate in place, but some law-enforcement officials won’t give it any teeth.

COVID-battered North Dakota finally has a mask mandate, but some of the state’s law-enforcement leaders are refusing to enforce it. The Bismarck Tribune reports that sheriffs in Bowman, Hettinger, and Stark counties have already said they won’t make sure residents and business are following the order issued last week by Gov. Doug Burgum—who resisted a statewide requirement until the pandemic was out of hand. “We trust that our citizens are capable of taking the necessary steps to protect themselves and others based upon their own unique circumstances,” Hettinger County Sheriff Sarah Warner said. Last month, before the mandate was in place, White House coronavirus expert Deborah Birx visited North Dakota and said the level of mask-wearing was the lowest she had seen in any place.