YEARINREVIEW Year of the coronavirus #1 SATURDAY • JANUARY 2, 2021
TOP 10 STORIES OF 2020 MINOT DAILY NEWS
t started slow. Very slow. Then the number of people with coronavirus began to climb. So did the concern.
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Photo from Metro
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By KIM FUNDINGSLAND • Staff Writer • kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com
Eventually, the North Dakota Department of Health updated coronavirus information on their website and on Facebook, a sort of macabre scoreboard of COVID-19 versus state residents. As 2020 drew to a close, the total active cases of COVID-19 in the state were on the decline but the number of deaths attributed to the pandemic had soared past 1,000. On March 19, State Health reported 19 positive cases of coronavirus in North Dakota. One person was hospitalized with COVID-19 complications and another 45 were being monitored. Also in March the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. But by the end of the year, more than 215 countries around the world would be affected by the virus. While some areas of the country were experiencing severe outbreaks in early 2020, the results of which remained unknown, North Dakota stepped up the testing of people for COVID-19. Total tests by the end of April reached nearly 30,000, positive cases topped 1,000, more than 30 were hospitalized across the state and the death toll attributed to coronavirus reached 19. A month later total deaths were more than 60 as the seriousness of the virus became more and more apparent. Coronavirus continued to spread in the state during the summer with 103 deaths reported at the end of July and another 50 people hospitalized. While the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions were identified as the most vulnerable to the virus, there were a number of unexpected deaths too. By mid-August the death count reached 122. The number of active coronavirus cases in Ward County was 218 at the end of Sep-
worst had passed. One week into December Minot’s active case count slipped under 400. Statewide, more than 1 million coronavirus tests had been given. Indicators from every county showed that COVID-19 was on the decline as people practiced social distancing and other preventive measures against an unseen enemy. By mid-December the number of people hospitalized had dropped by nearly 150 in a single week. All indications were the virus was being managed, but certainly had not disappeared. Business restrictions and other measures, such as limiting the size of gatherings, continued even as the first doses of vaccine to combat COVID-19 were being distributed throughout the state. As 2020 was drawing to a close no one was under the illusion that the COVID-19 pandemic was over, but there was at least some cause for hope that the pandemic would subside enough sometime in 2021 that certain precautions would no longer be considered necessary.
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Schools grapple with pandemic
By ANDREA JOHNSON Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
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Susan Ogurek, director of the Job Service North Dakota Office in Minot, spoke during a briefing on COVID-19 in May 2020.
Unemployment increases during pandemic
By ANDREA JOHNSON Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
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he coronavirus pandemic had a serious impact on livelihoods in the Minot area in 2020.
In the spring Gov. Doug Burgum had issued executive orders that closed or placed restrictions on certain high-contact businesses such as restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gymnasiums, hair stylists and movie theaters to slow the spread of the virus. As a result, the unemployment rate in Minot soared to a record 10.7 percent in April and May when it had been at 2.9 percent for the month of February. By October, with many of the restrictions lifted, more people were employed and unemployment rate in Minot was at 4.9 percent, still higher than it was a year before in October 2019 when unemployment had been at 1.6 percent. An aid package from the federal government enabled many employers to continue paying
their employees during the pandemic and, for a time, provided extra unemployment assistance for those who were laid off due to the pandemic. Federal direct payment stimulus checks to individuals also helped some stay afloat. But local charities and food banks reported that more people were lining up for assistance than in previous years, some of them in need of help for the first time. In turn, charities pleaded for donations to help meet the increased need. With virus numbers and deaths in the state soaring in November, the governor again issued an executive order placing limitations on certain businesses, such as limits on capacity. Every aspect of the economy has been impacted, with hotels and motels struggling to keep their doors open with few guests staying. Most major events in the area were also called off this year due to the coronavirus. Among them were events that usually draw large numbers of people to Minot, including the North Dakota State Fair in July and the Norsk Hostfest in the fall. Some of the state’s restrictions on business were lifted in late December, and the federal government announced that more assistance, including checks for individuals, is on the way.
tember, considered a very manageable number. At the same time Burleigh County, where the state capitol of Bismarck is located, had surged to over 700 active cases. It was an indicator that a statewide spike in COVID-19 cases was imminent. And it was. Ward County’s active coronavirus virus count pushed well over 900 by late October, Burleigh County over 1,200 and Cass County was only a few cases behind Burleigh. Active case numbers were on the rise in many other counties as well as concern over COVID-19 continued to grow. However, a month later the numbers began to show some improvement all across the state, fueling optimism that perhaps the
he coronavirus pandemic meant challenges for parents, teachers and students across the state in 2020.
School buildings were closed in March by order of the governor and classes were delivered via distance learning, an entirely new method of education delivery for many. When classes resumed in the fall, school districts and universities prepared plans of action for educating students in a pandemic. Some schools opted to continue distance learning for all students and others considered a hybrid model of face-to-face classes and distance learning. Minot Public Schools opted to resume face-to-face classes with a requirement for all to wear face masks in most situations and to practice other precautions against the coronavirus such as social distancing and hand washing. Quarantine and isolation and disruptions in school and work were necessary at
different points throughout the semester for individuals or entire cohorts of students who had virus symptoms or had been exposed to someone who did. Some of those requirements were eased somewhat later in the fall when Gov. Doug Burgum amended his quarantine order to exempt close contacts from the need to quarantine if both parties had been wearing face masks at all times. In November a surge in virus cases meant that school activities were also called off until Dec. 14, though practices were allowed with athletes wearing masks. Mitch Lunde, Minot Public Schools activities director, said many school extracurriculars would be held virtually and athletic events would be held with very limited audience attendance allowed. Some events have had to be called off or postponed when someone was required to be quarantined or isolated due to COVID-19. “We want our kids to continue to work and have opportunities,” said Lunde, even though it must be done with COVID-19 precautions in mind. Minot Public Schools Superintendent Mark Vollmer said on Dec. 17 that a comSee SCHOOLS — Page 3
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Students at Erik Ramstad Middle School wear masks throughout the school.