Positive COVID-19 cases increase to 41 in SD; Governor encourages residents to pause and reflect

The number of positive COVID-19 cases increased Wednesday to 41.  That’s up 11 cases from Tuesday’s report from the State Department of Health.  The new positive cases include eight new cases in Minnehaha County, one more case in Brown County, and one new positive case in Lincoln and Meade counties.  The total number of those who have recovered from COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health, is 13.

But those numbers are not what Governor Kristi Noem wants South Dakota residents to focus on for a while.  In a brief news conference on Wednesday, the Governor didn’t take any questions from reporters, but instead issued a statement encouraging residents to briefly pause and take a step back.  She said that the state is doing all it can to head off the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Noem says public employees and health care workers at all levels are going above and beyond.

Noem says she knows people are scared and worried but need time to step back from it all when they can.

 Noem says that it is going to be a long haul of weeks or possibly months before the state hits its peak with COVID-19 cases, but she encourages everyone to stay focused on what is important in their lives.  

State COVID-19 information