South Dakota Democrats will push for statewide mask mandate
January 28, 2021
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – Democratic lawmakers in South Dakota will push for a statewide mask mandate, like the one imposed by some cities and most of the state’s reservations to rein in the coronavirus outbreak.
Sen. Reynold Nesiba, of Sioux Falls, plans to introduce legislation on the mandate Thursday.
South Dakota Democratic Vice Chairwoman Nikki Gronli says the bill will mirror Sioux Falls’ ordinance.
Gronli says since Sioux Falls passed the mandate in November, the city has seen a sharp decline in positive cases and hospitalizations.
The call for the mask mandate comes as South Dakota’s active number of cases of COVID-19 has dropped to 3,137, the lowest number since late last summer.