Governor announces SD schools closed another week

Governor Kristi Noem announced during a news conference Tuesday afternoon that schools in the state will be closed next week as well in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Noem said that keeping schools closed another week will give the state the opportunity to increase its testing capabilities and take care of the individuals who need to be tested.  

The governor said that there has not been any community spread in the state, with all of the cases so far being in individuals who had traveled out of state.  

The state reported one more positive case of COVID-19 Tuesday.  The State Health Department reported that a female in her 50’s from Minnehaha County is the latest confirmed case, bringing the state’s total number of positive cases to eleven.

The female is the fifth person from Minnehaha County to test positive for the Coronavirus, and only the second female in the state.

The state is also reporting 551 negative tests for COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, and 35 pending tests.

One person has died from the virus – a man from Pennington County, who Governor Kristi Noem said died last week in Davison County.

More information and a link to the State Department of Health’s website on COVID-19 can be found here.