"What We’re Doing in South Dakota Is Republican Leadership,” COVID Enabler Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) Boasted to Fox News as COVID Rates Surge to All-Time Records in State
October 24, 2020
South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem has championed and even sponsored large public events flouting CDC COVID infection prevention guidelines, including the infamous Mount Rushmore July 4th event with Donald Trump and the 400- 500, 000 person super-superspreader Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this summer. She is planning a state-organized indoor country-western concert. (Gage Skidmore)
By Josh Israel
American Independent Foundation
BuzzFlash Update on October 24: “South Dakota Shatters Daily COVID-19 Record With More Than 1,100 Cases”
South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem [and Trump mini-me] bragged that her state’s uncontrolled coronavirus spread is a great example of “Republican leadership” on Wednesday.
Appearing on Fox News, the Republican was asked by host Laura Ingraham if critics of her laissez-faire approach to the pandemic had apologized yet.
“No apologies, Laura. But my people are happy. They appreciated the fact that we didn’t shut down their businesses, we allowed them to be flexible, take care of health, and protect the public — while still taking care of their customers and employees as well. So we’re doing good [sic] in South Dakota. We’re managing COVID-19,” she falsely claimed. “But also our economy is thriving. I think people are recognizing that leadership has consequences and what we’re doing in South Dakota is Republican leadership.”
A Noem spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.
South Dakota has some of the worst coronavirus spread in the country, currently trailing only North Dakota for the highest seven-day average of new cases.
Public health experts have attributed the massive spikes and uncontrolled transmission in her state, in part, to a recent superspreader event: a giant motorcycle rally in Sturgis held in August. Nearly 500,000 bikers gathered, with little social distancing or mask-wearing — despite public health officials’ warnings that it was a “recipe” for disaster.
A study published last month estimated that hundreds of cases stemmed from the rally, causing more than $12 billion in public health costs.
“This is enough to have paid each of the estimated 462,182 rally attendees $26,553.64 not to attend,” its authors wrote.
Noem herself encouraged people to attend the Sturgis event. “People have been gathering. We’ve been back to normal for over three months here in South Dakota,” she told Fox News on August 4. “So we know we can have these events, give people information, let them protect their health but still enjoy their way of life and enjoy events like the Sturgis motorcycle rally. We hope people come.”
This was typical of the way she has handled the pandemic.
She was one of just a handful of governors who refused to issue a stay-at-home order as the virus spread across the country in early 2020. As cases spiked at South Dakota’s meat plants, Noem bragged that she was protecting “citizens’ rights.”
She has also steadfastly refused to issue a mask mandate, even as public health experts have said they are the best way to curb the coronavirus’ spread.
Noem has repeatedly tried to make her nonresponse to the pandemic a sales pitch for South Dakota, urging people to move to her state.
“There’s no governor in America that has trusted their people to make the right choices more than I have,” she boasted in June.
According to the South Dakota Department of Health, the state has already more than 34,000 cases — out of a population of about 885,000. At least 333 South Dakotans have died
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Posted with permission