– Gov Doug Burgum’s Thurs COVID-19 News Briefing

Bismarck (CSi) Governor Doug Burgum held his daily COVID-19 News Briefing Thursday afternoon at the State Capital in Bismarck. He was joined by Sen. John Hoeven to provide an update on the latest federal actions related to the public health emergency. Comments start at 15 minutes into video.

April 23, 2020 11-a.m

Positive COVID-19 Test Results
Results listed are from the previous day.

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID

Woman in her 80s from Cass County with underlying health conditions.

COUNTIES WITH POSITIVE CASES

Burke County – 1
Burleigh County – 2
Cass County – 18
Grand Forks County – 8
Mountrail County – 2
Richland County – 1

BY THE NUMBERS

16,330 – Total Tested (+741 individuals from yesterday)

15,621 – Negative (+711 individuals from yesterday)

709 – Positive (+32 individuals from yesterday)

**Please note: After investigation, two previous cases from Cass County were found to reside out of state and were removed from the total number.

65 – Hospitalized (+3 individuals from yesterday)

18 – Currently Hospitalized (-5 individuals from yesterday)

269 – Recovered (+40 individuals from yesterday)

15 – Death (+1 individual from yesterday)

For descriptions of these categories, visit the NDDoH dashboard.

For the most updated and timely information and updates related to COVID-19, visit the NDDoH website at www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Governor Burgum said North Dakota has received guidance that it can use the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund to help cover the surging costs of unemployment insurance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Dakota has received $1.25 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was created through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.

Under guidance provided by the U.S. Treasury Department late Wednesday, states can use the CARES Act funding to cover expenses associated with economic support provided in connection with the COVID-19 crisis, including unemployment insurance costs that aren’t otherwise reimbursed by the federal government.

Burgum noted that Job Service North Dakota has already received more than 60,000 unemployment claims since March 16 – roughly three years’ worth of claims – and has paid out $105.8 million since that date, including $51.3 million from the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and $54.5 million from the federally funded Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program.

Burgum said, “Allowing states to utilize CARES Act funding to cover unemployment insurance expenses will help employers avoid huge increases in unemployment insurance premiums as they reopen and the economy gets back on track. We’re deeply grateful to Sen. Hoeven, Sen. Cramer and Congressman Armstrong, as well as President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, for their efforts to secure this important flexibility.”

At the governor’s press briefing Thursday, Senator John Hoeven spoke about how he worked directly with the Administration at Burgum’s request, including raising the issue directly with President Trump and Secretary Mnuchin in phone calls and with Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia during a conference call last week with North Dakota business leaders.

For more information on the state’s COVID-19 response, visit www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus or www.ndresponse.gov

The North Dakota Department of Health’s Coronavirus website has been updated to improve navigation and provide new resources. The changes follow:

Feeling Unwell?, previously linked directly to the state’s Risk Assessment, is now directed to a page focused on resources for individuals who are ill or suspect they may be ill.
Protect Yourself & Others page content is focused solely on prevention. Essential worker exposure guidance and travel requirements are now located on this page.
The Health Care Provider page now includes licensure, employment and volunteer opportunities, lab resources and a link to a new page on the state’s medical cache.
State Health Officer Orders are now located on the site’s homepage.
A new Communications Resources includes links to a Glossary of Terms, alternate language resources and the press conference recordings.

North Dakota Medicaid is hosting a webinar on Friday, April 24, from 1 to 2 p.m. Central Time to provide an update to providers, partners and other stakeholders on its response to the pandemic and answer any Medicaid-related questions pertaining to medical services and COVID-19.

The webinar will be available through Microsoft Teams at https://bit.ly/2VuRo8B or by phone at 701-328-0950, conference ID code 429118138#. Attendees can join from any computer or mobile device. The webinar will be recorded and available for later viewing on the department’s website at www.nd.gov/dhs/info/covid-19/program-policy.html.

The meeting will begin with an update on the impact of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on the Medicaid program. North Dakota Medicaid officials will provide an update on the federal disaster Medicaid state plan amendments recently approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other meeting topics include the impact of North Dakota’s hospital and nursing home surge plan on Medicaid and a simplified enrollment process for qualified service providers who provide home and community-based services to older adults and people with disabilities. Results from a recent COVID-19 Medicaid provider survey will also be shared.

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations, including auxiliary aids to participate, can contact Stacey Koehly at 701-328-4807, toll-free 800-755-2604, 711 (TTY) or skoehly@nd.gov.

North Dakota voters will be receiving their ballots by mail for the June 9^th primary election. County commissions in all of the 53 counties have authorized Vote by Mail for the election as a measure to reduce the public’s risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Governor Doug Burgum signed Executive Order 2020-13 on March 26, 2020 strongly encouraging counties to use Vote by Mail for the June 9, 2020 election. The executive order suspends the requirement for counties to have at least one physical polling location. In response, every county has decided to administer the primary election by Vote by Mail only. Reservation counties have worked with tribal governments in their county to secure agreements to support Vote by Mail. This means no polling locations will be open for the primary election and all ballots will be issued through the mail.

All eligible voters will be receiving an application in the mail from the North Dakota Secretary of State’s Office. If you do not receive an application by May 11^th, contact your county auditor. The voter will complete their application and mail it to the county auditor using a postage-paid envelope. Once the auditor’s office receives the application and verifies the information is filled in correctly and has been signed, a ballot will be sent.

Voters can return their ballots by mail to the county auditor’s office or deposit the ballot at a secure mail ballot drop box location. Each county will have a secure ballot drop box; contact the county auditor regarding the location. Voted ballots need to be returned by mail by June 8^th or at the secure drop box by 4 p.m. on June 9^th, primary election day.

An ExpressVote assistive voting device will be available for voters needing assistance with their ballot. Contact your county auditor to make an appointment, as most county courthouse have restricted public access.

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring Thursday issued guidance for ag-related businesses to ensure continuation of the food supply chain, while maintaining a healthy workforce.

“The role of agriculture is clear,” Goehring said. “Ag-related businesses are critical and essential to providing for our most basic needs. I encourage producers to take the proper precautions and mitigate risk to ensure their operations continue to run smoothly.”

The guidance documents issued include best practices to protect against COVID-19 and recommendations for: