Accepting the Unexpected

Last week a new term worked its way into the mainstream American vocabulary– social distancing. It was a term that took us by surprise as we anxiously awaited the upcoming events of the spring season.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the practice of social distancing includes avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.

Now more than a week later, social distancing has become part of our daily lives at a rate we have never before seen. This is all in an effort to reduce the transmission rate of a highly contagious virus called COVID-19, or coronavirus.

On Thursday, March 19, the Eddy County Commission issued an Emergency Declaration regarding COVID-19 and implemented several related personnel policies.

"We're still open for business," announced Chair Dave Gehrtz, "but we have to do it by phone or electronics."

The front doors of the courthouse are locked, and residents are urged to call rather can visit. Guests must pass a verbal screening and have their hands sanitized before being taken directly to the department to which they want to visit. "Let's take this seriously, and not have a problem in New Rockford, N.D." Gehrtz noted. There were no confirmed cases of the virus in Eddy County as of press time Thursday.

To keep it that way, the courthouse has also implemented policies to keep everyone safe. Each staff member is asked to stay in his or her designated office. The mail will be handled by one staff member, while wearing gloves. The staff is asked not to gather in common spaces, but rather communicate via phone or email.

All district court hearings on March 25 and April 6 will be held telephonically. Those required to appear will receive an email with conference call-in instructions. Eddy County Clerk of District Court Patty Hilbert said that court fines and fees can be paid online with a debit or credit card at http://www.ndcourts.gov or mailed to the courthouse. One can also call (701) 947-2434 ext. 2013 to pay a fine.

Eddy County Public Health Nurse Danette Schmid reported that with limited testing available, only those hospitalized for symptoms, living or working in a congregate setting (including healthcare workers) and people who are known to have been in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 will be tested at this time. The testing is conducted at local hospitals, and public health is picking up the samples and taking them to the state lab.

What is COVID-19?

Known as COVID-19, or more commonly coronavirus, causes just a few symptoms- fever, cough shortness of breath. It is transmitted from person to person through coughing or sneezing. The virus then enters the body through their nose, mouth or eyes. Once in the system, the virus travels to the mucous membranes in the back of the throat. When the virus reaches the lungs, the mucous membranes become inflamed and can severely damage lung tissues. At that point, patients can experience difficulty breathing and pneumonia.

A Global Crisis

The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China and was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 31, 2019. COVID-19 been detected in more than 100 locations internationally, including in the United States.

On March 11, the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic, which means a global outbreak of a disease. Tedros Adhanom, the WHO Director cited, "There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives." Adhanom clearly stated the uncertainty of this situation, "We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. This is the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus."

When talk of social distancing followed, it seemed like an idea that most people could get their head around. Then in a rapidly unfolding set of events the NBA suspended the season after a player tested positive for the virus. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a declaration of national emergency due to the growing COVID-19 crisis. Soon long-standing events like the Kentucky Derby, Broadway, Cirque du Soleil and even the North Dakota class B boys basketball tournament were temporarily suspended to avoid encouraging crowds.

Local Affairs

New Rockford's own Dakota Prairie Center for the Arts suspended the opening of their spring show, "Honkey Tonk Laundry." Production Manager Deb Belquist said in a Facebook post, "To comply with the CDC recommendations we will cancel our shows this week. We will take it a week at a time."

It's a hopeful response that is shared by many. At that time there was only one confirmed case of COVID-19, leaving plenty of hope that this would blow over soon. Even the press conference held by Gov. Doug Burgum echoed a sense of calm for the state. Burgum reassured us that there would be no drastic reactions and that North Dakota was prepared to handle the impacts of large scale social distancing.

Over the weekend, the nation wide response grew and neighboring states closed schools. President Trump made a recommendation of limiting social events to a number of 50- a figure that has since been changed to 10.

Like a snow day, just longer

At 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, Gov. Burgum enacted Executive Order 2020-4 and ultimately issued a state of emergency that mandated all schools K-12 will be closed from Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20.

Immediately the issue posed a local impact. Parents were faced with having the kids home, while still managing their work responsibilities. NR-S Superintendent Jill Louters has been posting regularly on the school's Facebook page, offering resources and reassurance. In the most recent post as of press time, Superintendent Louters stated, "Currently, our learning is paused, however, we will be communicating the appropriate plans and procedures once we have a clear direction from the state regarding our range of options... The Center for Disease Control suggests that we may see a nationwide dramatic spike in confirmed cases within 5 - 7 days. Our priority is your student's safety. We are monitoring data daily to better inform future decisions."

The Transcript will provide continuing coverage on our website, at http://www.newrockfordtranscript.com.

Editor's Note: This article was written Thursday morning, March 19. Since then Gov. Burgum has issued several executive orders closing schools to public access until further notice, as well as bars, restaurants and recreational facilities. Read more on that here: https://www.newrockfordtranscript.com/story/2020/03/16/news/31920-gov-burgum-issues-several-executive-orders-aimed-at-stopping-the-spread-of-covid-19/4474.html

To see a list of the changes at local businesses, go here: https://www.newrockfordtranscript.com/story/2020/03/16/news/covid-19-new-rockford-business-updates/4497.html