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Documenting South Dakota's path to recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

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South Dakota coronavirus coverage
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Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This article contains a general timeline of noteworthy state government responses to the coronavirus pandemic since April 2020. It also includes details on three specific types of state responses to the pandemic:

Additionally, the article includes:


Response news updates

The following section provides a timeline of South Dakota's reopening activity beginning in April 2020. The entries, which come from our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter, are sorted by month in reverse chronological order. The date shown is the day that we wrote about them in the newsletter. They appear exactly as they appeared in the newsletter.

June 2021

  • June 28: The state stopped participating in pandemic-related federal unemployment benefit programs June 26. Gov. Kristi Noem (R) made the announcement May 12.

April 2021

  • April 21: On Wednesday, April 21, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) issued an order banning government entities, including local governments and state agencies, from requiring individuals to submit proof of vaccination to access facilities or services.
  • April 1: On Wednesday, March 31, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) announced that residents 16 and older will become eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine on Monday, April 5.

March 2021

  • March 23: On Monday, March 22, the South Dakota Department of Health opened vaccine eligibility to Group 1E of the state’s vaccination plan. Group 1E includes critical infrastructure workers, such as employees in food and agriculture, wastewater, and fire personnel.

February 2021

  • February 8: People age 75 and older are eligible for vaccination starting Feb. 8. Previously, Phase 1D only allowed people age 80 and over to receive a vaccine.
  • February 4: On Feb. 3, the South Dakota Department of Health announced that people age 75 and older will be eligible for vaccination starting Feb. 8. Previously, Phase 1D only allowed people age 80 and over to receive a vaccine.

December 2020

  • December 21: On Friday, Dec. 18, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) issued an order extending the statewide COVID-19 emergency through June 30, 2021.

October 2020

  • October 22: Gov. Kristi Noem (R) decreased the eligibility requirements for the state’s Small Business and Healthcare Provider Relief Program from a 25% reduction in business to a 15% reduction in business. The maximum grant limit was increased from $100,000 to $500,000.

July 2020

  • July 23: The South Dakota High School Activities Association board voted unanimously to allow sports practices to begin on Aug. 3 with the first competition scheduled for Aug. 11. Masks are not required at competitions but spectators are recommended to wear them.

June 2020

  • June 22: The South Dakota Department of Health released a three-phase reopening plan for long-term care facilities, which have been closed since March. In phase one, outdoor visitation is generally permitted, while indoor visitation generally is not. To move from one phase to the next, nursing homes must engage in weekly randomized testing of staff and patients, and there must be no confirmed cases in the facility within the last 14 days.

April 2020

  • April 29: Gov. Kristi Noem (R) outlined her Back to Normal plan for the state. The plan includes guidelines for individuals, employers, retailers, schools, healthcare providers, and local governments for resuming normal operations. The guidelines are not requirements and do not go into effect on a specific date (though the plan has a list of criteria to initiate) as South Dakota never issued a stay-at-home order or required businesses to close.


Vaccine distribution

This section contains a table of quick facts on the state’s vaccine distribution plan and a timeline of noteworthy events, including updates on vaccine availability for new groups of individuals, changes to state distribution plans, and much more. If you know of a noteworthy story we are missing, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

The South Dakota Department of Health released a distribution plan on November 18, 2020.

Quick facts

South Dakota state vaccination plan quick information
What governing entities are responsible for vaccine allocation and distribution?[1] Vaccine Program Implementation Committee
Where can I find a quick breakdown of phases in my state? COVID-19 vaccine for South Dakota residents
Where can I find the distribution plan? COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
When was the plan first released to the public? November 18, 2020
When was the plan most recently updated? December 14, 2020
Where can I find answers to frequently asked questions? COVID-19 Vaccination Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find data related to the coronavirus in my state? SOUTH DAKOTA COVID-19 DASHBOARD
Where is the state health department's homepage? South Dakota Department of Health
Where can I find additional information about the state's vaccine distribution? The COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan in Wyoming - AARP

Timeline

  • April 21, 2021: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) issued an order banning government entities, including local governments and state agencies, from requiring individuals to submit proof of vaccination to access facilities or services.[2]
  • March 31, 2021: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) announced that residents 16 and older would become eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine on April 5.[3]
  • March 22, 2021: The South Dakota Department of Health opened vaccine eligibility to Group 1E of the state’s vaccination plan. Group 1E was scheduled to include critical infrastructure workers, such as employees in food and agriculture, wastewater, and fire personnel.[4]
  • February 8, 2021: In South Dakota, people age 75 and older became eligible for vaccination. Previously, Phase 1D only allowed people age 80 and over to receive a vaccine.[5]
  • February 3, 2021: The South Dakota Department of Health announced that people age 75 and older would be eligible to receive the vaccine starting Feb. 8. Previously, Phase 1D only allowed people age 80 and over to receive the vaccine.[6]

School reopenings and closures

See also: School responses in South Dakota to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Schools in South Dakota were closed to in-person instruction on March 17, 2020, and remained closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year. To notify us of when schools were allowed to reopen statewide, email us. The timeline below lists statewide responses we tracked.

  • June 29, 2021: At the end of the school year, Burbio reported all schools were in-person in South Dakota .[7][8]
  • Sept. 10, 2020: At the beginning of the school year, Burbio reported most schools were in-person in South Dakota .[9][10]
  • July 28, 2020: Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said that schools would open in the fall and that she would not consider closing schools in the event of a coronavirus resurgence.[11]
  • June 2020: The South Dakota Department of Education partnered with the Department of Health to release “Starting Well 2020,” a series of documents containing guidance on reopening and daily operations for K-12 schools. The documents covered several areas, including guidelines for teachers, special education, libraries, distance learning, school buses, and COVID-19 mitigation. Many of the guidelines were updated throughout July.[12]


  • April 6, 2020: Gov. Kristi Noem (R) closed schools for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through May 1.[13]
  • March 24, 2020: Noem announced that the statewide school closure, initially scheduled to end March 27, was extended through May 1.[14]
  • March 17, 2020: Noem announced that schools in the state would remain closed for the week following spring break, through March 27.[15]

Statewide travel restrictions

See also: Travel restrictions issued by states in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021


As of September 7, 2021, South Dakota had not issued any travel restrictions.

More information can be found at Travel South Dakota.


Statewide mask requirements

See also: State-level mask requirements in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


South Dakota did not issue a statewide mask requirement.


Noteworthy lawsuits

See also: Lawsuits about state actions and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

Noem v. Haaland: On June 2, 2021, Chief Judge Roberto Lange, of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, rejected an attempt by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore to commemorate the Fourth of July. Lange, an appointee of President Barack Obama (D), declined to grant Noem's request for a preliminary injunction after the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) declined to permit the fireworks display. Upon rejecting Noem's permit, the DOI cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other environmental, cultural, and safety concerns. In her complaint, Noem argued that DOI’s permit rejection letter was "a patchwork of vague and speculative purported concerns" that violated a memorandum of understanding between the state and the Donald Trump (R) administration. Noem also asserted that the 2020 fireworks display "was a rousing success, and not a single COVID-19 case was traced back to it." In his order denying the preliminary injunction, Lange found that "under governing law, the State is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its claims and has not met the requirements" to prove that DOI acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner. Noem said she would appeal the decision, adding, "We will continue fighting to once again return fireworks to Mount Rushmore."[16][17][18]

Officials and candidates diagnosed with or quarantined due to coronavirus

See also: Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

The table below lists officials or candidates who have been diagnosed with or quarantined due to coronavirus. The most recent announcements appear first.

Name Office Date Status
Steven Haugaard South Dakota House of Representatives District 10 October 19, 2020 Haugaard announced he had spent the last two weeks battling coronavirus.[19]
Aaron Aylward South Dakota House of Representatives District 6 February 8, 2021 Aylward announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus.[20]
Hugh Bartels South Dakota House of Representatives District 5 February 15, 2021 Bartels announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus.[21]
Will Mortenson South Dakota House of Representatives District 24 February 12, 2021 Mortenson announced in a tweet that he had tested positive for coronavirus.[22]
Nancy York South Dakota House of Representatives District 5 February 11, 2021 York announced that she had tested positive for coronavirus.[23]
Taffy Howard South Dakota House of Representatives District 33 February 11, 2021 Howard announced that she had tested positive for coronavirus.[24]
Tamara St. John South Dakota House of Representatives District 1 February 10, 2021 St. John announced that she had tested positive for coronavirus.[25]
Reynold Nesiba South Dakota State Senate District 15 December 12, 2020 Nesiba announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus.[26]
Bob Glanzer South Dakota House of Representatives District 22 April 3, 2020 Glanzer died from complications caused by COVID-19.[27]


Paths to recovery by state

To read about other states’ responses and recoveries, click one of the links below:

Other state government responses

To view previous coverage areas, including changes to 2020 election dates and policies, initial stay-at-home orders, coronavirus-related legislation, and much more, click a state in the map below.

https://ballotpedia.org/Government_responses_to_and_political_effects_of_the_coronavirus_pandemic,_2020_(STATE)

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Found on page 6 of the state's vaccine distribution plan.
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AZ421
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SD331
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SD322
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SD28
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SD23
  7. ↑ Burbio rated South Dakota's in-person index at 100. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  8. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  9. ↑ Burbio rated South Dakota's in-person index between 80-100. To read more about Burbio's school opening tracker, click here. To read more about Burbio's methodology, click here.
  10. ↑ Burbio, "Burbio's K-12 School Opening Tracker," accessed Oct. 8, 2021
  11. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Governor Pushes Schools to Remain Open, Disparages Masks," July 28, 2020
  12. ↑ South Dakota Department of Education, "Starting Well 2020," accessed August 13, 2020
  13. ↑ Sioux Falls Argus Leader, "Schools to remain closed for rest of academic year: What that means for Sioux Falls," April 6, 2020
  14. ↑ News Center 1, "Noem: SD schools close until May 1," March 24, 2020
  15. ↑ Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, "UPDATE 4:19 p.m.: SD School Closure Extended To Next Week," March 17, 2020
  16. ↑ United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, "Noem v. Haaland: Noem v. Haaland: Opinion and Order Denying Preliminary Injunction Motion," June 2, 2021
  17. ↑ United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, "Noem v. Haaland: Complaint," April 30, 2021
  18. ↑ Office of the Governor of South Dakota, "Arbitrary and Unlawful," June 4, 2021
  19. ↑ Argus Leader, "S.D. House Speaker battles COVID-19: 'It's been the most devastating stuff I've ever had'," October 13, 2020
  20. ↑ Keloland, "COVID-19 diagnosed at S.D. legislative session," February 8, 2021
  21. ↑ KOTATV, "Another South Dakota lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19 in House," February 15, 2021
  22. ↑ KOTATV, "7th South Dakota state house member tests positive for COVID-19 last Friday," February 15, 2021
  23. ↑ KOTATV, "South Dakota state house confirms two new COVID cases," February 11, 2021
  24. ↑ KOTATV, "South Dakota state house confirms two new COVID cases," February 11, 2021
  25. ↑ Argus Leader, "COVID-19 at the capitol: 2 more test positive, doubling cases among lawmakers this week," February 10, 2021
  26. ↑ News Center 1, "State Senator Reynold Nesiba tests positive for COVID-19," December 12, 2020
  27. ↑ InForum, "South Dakota lawmaker dies following battle with COVID-19," April 4, 2020
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