State to declare emergency in Minnehaha County with 190 COVID cases from Smithfield hot spot
April 10, 2020
The South Dakota secretary of health will declare a public health emergency in Minnehaha County today after 190 people tested positive for COVID-19 following exposure from the Smithfield hot spot in Sioux Falls.
“This is a proactive step we’re using to make sure the authorities are in place should the time arise in the future that we need to use them,” Gov. Kristi Noem said.
The move would allow potential “judicial action against someone who may not comply with quarantine efforts,” she continued.
“These tools may be necessary in the coming days.”
Cases have doubled every three days in Minnehaha County, which helped prompt the action.
The state said most of the 190 cases involved employees at Smithfield. It was less clear how many of those or how many additional cases have been documented because of exposure outside the plant to people who work there.
Six of the cases at Smithfield so far have required hospitalization or some type of additional health care, Noem said.
“Because it is a hot spot we’re deploying our resources there. We’re testing people there more at a higher rate,” she said. “We’re monitoring everyone who is going in and out of that facility, and we’re working to isolate those folks who are sick.”
The diverse workforce is adding to the challenge of trying to mitigate community spread, Noem said. The state is bringing in language specialists and trying to work with leaders within the ethnic communities to try to ensure Smithfield employees and their families understand the strategy to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
About 10 people for every confirmed case are being notified because they have been exposed to someone who tested positive, the state said.
The number of COVID-19 cases statewide jumped by 89 confirmed cases from yesterday’s report for a total of 536. That includes 78 new cases in Minnehaha County for a total of 352, and five new cases in Lincoln County for a total of 38. There have been 56 people in Minnehaha County who have recovered and 16 in Lincoln.
With the three-day closure and cleaning, Smithfield will be installing more protective measures for employees, Noem said.
“We obviously every day, every moment, re-evaluate. We’ll continue to do that in this situation. But right now I believe that was an appropriate decision.”
