Coronavirus in rural America (Part XCV): North Dakota finally makes masks mandatory (albeit overnight, under cover of darkness)

 Here's an excerpt from the story, provided by Inforum (news in the Fargo/Moorhead area):

BISMARCK — North Dakota has put in place a statewide mask mandate, occupancy limits on public-facing businesses and the suspension of most high school winter sports as the state’s worst-in-the-nation COVID-19 outbreak continues to spiral out of control.

The mask order, announced in a news release late Friday night, Nov. 13, means residents of the state must wear face coverings in businesses, indoor public places and outdoor public settings where social distancing cannot be maintained. The order includes exemptions for children under five years of age, people attending religious services and those with disabilities that make mask-wearing unreasonable.

The order from interim State Health Officer Dirk Wilke goes into effect on Saturday, Nov. 14, and will remain on the books through Dec. 14.

Violators of the mask order can be cited for an infraction, which could come with a fine up to $1,000 for a first offense. However, Gov. Doug Burgum urged law enforcement to prioritize education and reserve penalties for the most egregious infringements.

North Dakota will join 34 other states, including Minnesota, that have already mandated mask-wearing. 

The statewide order comes after most of North Dakota’s largest cities, including Fargo, Grand Forks and Bismarck, implemented mandates of their own in recent weeks. A handful of counties and at least four of the five American Indian reservations in the state also passed mask requirements, though most of the local mandates had no penalties.

North Dakota's COVID-19 crisis has been very much in the national news in recent days, as the per capita rate of infection has exceeded most states, including at the spiring and summer peaks of the pandemic.