SD Guv Still Refuses Mask Mandate, Says It Would Only ‘Make People Feel Good’
South Dakota is currently second in the nation in COVID-19 cases and deaths per 100,000, according to the CDC.
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Despite her state’s hospitals being overrun with COVID-19 patients, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem maintained her refusal to implement a mask mandate Wednesday, saying she didn’t “want to approach a policy of a mandate just looking to make people feel good.” South Dakota currently has the nation’s second-highest rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only outpaced by North Dakota. However, Noem’s northern counterpart, fellow Republican Doug Burgum, introduced a statewide mask mandate last week, as did Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Thirty-six states currently mandate wearing masks outside, according to the AARP.
Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) on mask mandates: “I don’t want to approach a policy or a mandate just looking to make people feel good.”
— The Recount (@therecount) November 18, 2020
(South Dakota has the highest positivity rate in the nation, and masks work.) pic.twitter.com/yacgdFXldT
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