As the state’s total number of positive COVID-19 cases surpassed 23-hundred Tuesday, with more than 900 of them active cases, Governor Kristi Noem unveiled her plan to get the state “back to normal”.  

The governor said in a media briefing Tuesday that her plan will not include any mandates or new government programs, but will put decision-making into the “hands of the people”.   

Noem said that people need to continue to practice good hygiene and make good decisions.

Noem also encourages businesses to re-open in a manner that continues strong techniques to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

The governor closed schools for the remainder of the academic year, but her “Back to Normal” plan suggests a limited return to in-person instruction to check in with students before the school year ends. 

Noem said that the state’s response is a “balancing act” between slowing infections and allowing some semblance of daily life.  She said that increased testing capacity and models that show a decrease in the number of needed hospital beds allows her to put forth this plan.

As she unveiled her plan on Tuesday, Noem pointed out that for some people, there will never be a return to normal because of the deadly impact of the coronavirus.

A link to the Governor’s Back to Normal plan