Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Graph prepared by Amy Wobbema using data from the North Dakota Department of Health
Thursday, April 16
With business restrictions extended to May 1, Governor Burgum put laser focus on testing this week. He said the goal was to double the state's testing capacity each month until there are 6,000 tests completed per day. He noted that adequate testing supplies were available and urged citizens to advocate for testing. Residents who are symptomatic that have been denied a test for COVID-19 are urged to contact the N.D. Department of Health hotline at 1-866-207-2880. The hotline is staffed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
With spring weather forthcoming, residents had questions about fishing, particularly non-resident activity. Non-resident fishing license sales are down 70-75% compared to last year, Burgum noted. The majority of the non-resident fishing occurs on or after May 31. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to enjoy the great outdoors while practicing social distancing. If residents are seen congregating on fishing piers, bridges, ramps and other infrastructure, the game wardens will close those areas to the public.
Friday, April 17
New Rockford Park District staff lit up the baseball diamond and football field at Jim "Legion" Johnson Memorial Park Friday. Park District Manager Dennis Nybo said they plan to light up the field every Friday night beginning at 8:30 pm for 20 minutes until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted or the school year ends, whichever comes first. "We are doing this to show appreciation and solidarity for our students, coaches, instructors/administration, extra curricular programs, and especially our Seniors!" Nybo said. Observers are asked not to drive into and around the field due to wet conditions and soft roads. The lights are visible from the highway!
Saturday, April 18
An outbreak of COVID-19 at LM Wind Power, a wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in Grand Forks, caused a big spike in the number of positive cases. Burgum reported in his Saturday press conference that at least 110 people associated with the plant had tested positive as of that day. Burgum signed an executive order requiring all LM Wind Power employees to quarantine for at least 14 days, monitor their symptoms and seek testing as necessary. A total of 424 tests were administered at the plant Thursday by the state's Rapid Response Team. Eddy County Public Health Nurse Danette Schmid assisted with the event. She noted Tuesday that she was impressed with how well organized it was.
Sunday, April 19
Nelson County recorded its first positive case Sunday, reportedly someone connected to the Good Samaritan Center nursing home in Lakota. A mass testing event was conducted there Friday, according to authorities. A total of 10 nursing homes out of the 218 facilities across North Dakota had at least one positive case.
Monday, April 20
Total cases across the nation jumped over 800,000 today, with 45,318 deaths reported. Today alone, there were 25,985 new cases and 2,804 new deaths in the United States. The North Dakota American Legion Baseball Committee met Monday evening to reconsider its previous decision to cancel the 2020 baseball season. The committee decided to uphold the cancellation, with the intent to "preserve the safety and health of everyone associated with the program."
Tuesday, April 21
The U.S. Senate passed a $484 billion relief package Tuesday by unanimous consent. The bill adds $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, a fund for small businesses that ran out of money within days after its release on April 3. The package also includes $60 billion in disaster relief loans and grants, $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion to boost coronavirus testing. The House was expected to vote on the package as early as Thursday.
Wednesday, April 22
Neighboring Wells County documented its first positive case of COVID-19 Wednesday, a woman in her 60s who contracted the virus through community spread. The state also reported its 14th death from COVID-19, a man in his 40s from Cass County with underlying health conditions. This individual is the youngest North Dakota person to die from the virus since the onset began. Outbound, targeted testing to be scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays, because people are less likely to go into a doctor's office on weekends.
