Mask-wearing resolution passed as cases continue to climb (Subscribers)

By Carrie Moritz, Gazette

On Monday, the Garretson City Council passed a resolution to encourage mask-wearing in public. As COVID-19 case numbers continue hitting record highs in Minnehaha County with no signs of slowing, the city joins a coalition of other South Dakota towns and organizations that support the #MASKUPSODAK campaign, which was initiated on October 27.

In short, the Council is asking the community to work together to help slow or stop the spread.

“I work with it every day,” said Mayor Greg Beaner to the Gazette last week. He noted that he’s going to wear a mask. “Things have gotten worse over the past few weeks.”

In the resolution, the council asks all members of the community to “take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and comply with public health protocols,” and continues, saying, “this is a time to act collaboratively on behalf of others, as it is the nature of a pandemic that only collective action that reaches high rates of compliance will ensure protection to the whole community and reduce this most serious risk to the health of individuals.”

Mayor Beaner noted in the interview that a mask mandate would be difficult to enact in Garretson, partly because of the wide range of businesses and facilities in town, and mostly because the mandate is not state- or county-wide. Governor Kristi Noem has refused to issue a mask mandate, as has Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken.

Mayor TenHaken and Governor Noem continue to ask citizens to utilize common sense and personal responsibility, with TenHaken pointing out that the #MASKUPSODAK campaign did not request a mandate, even as hospital staff and administrators implore that something be done. Governor Noem continues to attend gatherings and group events unmasked, including a 3M plant opening in Aberdeen geared toward making masks for healthcare staff last week.

At the city council meeting, the council said a mandate would be incredibly difficult to enforce. However, they acknowledged that something needed to be done to help reduce case rates in the area. With that, they voted unanimously to pass the resolution, asking community members to step up to the cause.

Numbers in Garretson proper continue to be hard to pinpoint, but the rising amount of cases are impacting several local people and businesses. At the school board meeting on Monday, Superintendent Guy Johnson gave an update on cases within the school.

As of Monday, November 9, he said, there were 35 total students out due to positive cases or close contact procedures. Of those, four students and 1 staff member were currently COVID positive, and one staff member was awaiting a COVID test.

“The school has been able to cope in these trying times,” Supt. Johnson said in the meeting. Unlike Flandreau and Baltic, which have recently done 1-2 weeks of distance learning due to a lack of staff, Garretson has been able to maintain a low staff positivity rate. Supt. Johnson has said in the past that the enforcement of a mask mandate since the beginning of the school year has no doubt helped those numbers stay low.

At Palisades Healthcare, the Gazette noted last week that official counts were hard to glean; however, after further research, it was discovered via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that for October 12-25, there were 18 total cases in residents, four deaths, and three confirmed cases in staff. Until that time, the facility only had one positive COVID-19 case in a resident and three total in staff ranks throughout the pandemic.

For Minnehaha County as a whole, active cases have continued on an exponential trajectory, increasing over 5x the amount at the beginning of October. As of Tuesday, November 10, the county had 4,058 active cases. The state had 16,595 active cases. The state has also lost 115 people in the first 10 days of November, already more than half the people who died in October.

Public health officials are asking people to re-consider Thanksgiving and holiday plans, as hospitals are beginning to be overwhelmed in many areas.

In Sioux Falls, Avera McKennan reported 108 hospitalizations, and Sanford had 131 on Tuesday. Sanford has begun utilizing surge capacity measures such as re-scheduling elective surgeries and procedures, which reduces quality of life care for many.

In order to accomplish a reduction in case rates, utilizing all of the measures suggested by health officials are needed. These not only include washing hands and social distancing, but also wearing masks anytime out of the home, not gathering in large groups indoors or in areas without high-quality ventilation, and staying home if you don’t feel well.

Public health officials encourage everyone to exercise caution and act as though you could spread it to others, and protect your community.

The full resolution passed by the Garretson City Council reads as follows: