FARGO, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Friday he is shutting down barber shops, beauty salons and other personal service businesses after the state “crossed the threshold” of having more COVID-19 cases attributed to community spread rather than travel.
The executive order came after the state announced its first death from the new coronavirus, a man in his 90s from Cass County. The man had underlying health conditions and acquired the virus through community spread, the state Health Department reported.
“We knew this day was coming,” Burgum said of the death. “With community spread we will never know how this individual contracted the disease.”
The order to close shops follows an earlier edict from Burgum in which he restricted restaurants and bars to delivery and takeout service, and shuttered several recreational businesses like health clubs and movie theaters. The governor said he’s trying to “strike the balance” between closures and personal responsibility in order to slow the spread.
He added that the fishing opener will go on as scheduled and none of the hunting seasons have been altered at this point.
“The key is to not shut down all outdoor activity,” Burgum said of the state that is known to draw hunters and anglers from around the country.
A second executive order signed by Burgum on Friday gives business owners the ability to suspend payment of their unemployment taxes and any interest that would have been assessed for a late payment. That move defers about $30 million that was due to the state at the end of the month and allows those businesses to focus on their employees and customers, Burgum said.
Health officials confirmed 10 news cases in the last 24 hours after testing 447 people, the most so far in one day. A total of 68 patients have tested positive and 16 have been hospitalized, including five in the last day.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, which can include fever and cough but also milder cases of pneumonia. The risk of death is greater for older adults and people with other health problems.
Burgum has said the rate of spread shows that every county in the state will likely have positive tests in the next week or so. He formed a testing task force that is working to increase the number of checkups.
The state on Thursday confirmed a case in a boy younger than 10 who lives in McIntosh County, on the South Dakota border. The McIntosh District Health Unit issued a statement saying the boy was younger than 2 and had been released from the hospital to stay in isolation at home.
The county’s health administrator, Cheryl Reis-Schilling, urged residents “to be prepared, but not panic,” and said officials were working to identify people who had been in close contact with the boy.
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