North Dakota health officials are focusing their efforts on protecting elderly residents and those with chronic conditions after a man in his 60s became the first person in the state to test positive for the coronavirus, Gov. Doug Burgum said Thursday.
Health officials said the Ward County man traveled to the East Coast and had contact with a person who also tested positive for the disease. He has isolated himself at home and his symptoms appear to be mild. Officials are working to identify people who may have been in close contact with him.
Burgum said he wants people to make decisions “on facts, not fear” and urged residents to take two main precautions: wash their hands with “good old soap and water” and stay home when they’re sick.
“We even like the phrase ‘North Dakota tough,’” Burgum said. “Right now ‘North Dakota tough’ means making the right decisions about protecting yourselves, your family, your friends and your coworkers. There has been a culture in our state that if you’re ill, you’re the strong one if you still get up and go to work.”
Those decisions were unfolding quickly on Thursday. North Dakota State University and University of North Dakota officials announced through campus emails they were cancelling on-campus classes and will be conducting them remotely. The other nine higher education institutions in the state were either switching to online classes or allowing students to make their own arrangements.
Meanwhile, Democrats canceled their March 19-22 state convention in Minot over the virus. The party said it was working on alternate plans to nominate statewide candidates and elect national convention delegates.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks.
The North Dakota High School Activities Association said in a statement that games in the Class A state boys and girls basketball tournaments in Fargo are still scheduled Thursday, as are the eight Class B boys basketball regional championships throughout the state. The statement said it was “a fluid situation and may change quickly.”
Officials are recommending that the state’s 80 nursing homes limit visitors, in part to protect health care workers that are already in short supply in North Dakota.
The Department of Health has tested 27 individuals for COVID-19 in North Dakota. Twelve tests came back negative. Results for 14 tests are still pending. The positive test awaits confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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