Bismarck  (CSi)  Governor Doug Burgum held his weekly News Briefing on Tuesday afternoon at the state capital in Bismarck. He was joined by Commerce Commissioner Michelle Kommer to discuss the Economic Resiliency Grant program.

Video Online at Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ndhealth/videos/286774799269352/

Burgum said he participated in a telephone call with federal and state officials with the COVID-19 Task Force, sharing information.

He said ND has crossed the 1,000 mark of active cases, and continued two additional days.

He added another milestone was ND crossing the 100 mark in COVID-Deaths.

Burgum pointed out the spiking of positive cases in Burleigh County.

A Burleigh Morton County COVID Task Force is being formed, with stakeholders including state officials education, healthcare, and employers, plus others, addressing the spiking numbers, and to mitigate the spread of the virus.  He noted testing strategies and contact tracing efforts will be addressed by the task force.  Prevention education will also be stepped up.

He pointed out individuals in their 20’s and 30’s are socializing at parties, bars, weddings and the like, and in many cases are not observing social distancing, and there by spreading the virus.

He said if North Dakotans want to keep businesses fully open to observe social distancing and other “North Dakota Smart,” guidelines, including wearing face masks, and frequent hand washing.

He said North Dakota will remain, for now, in the Low Risk level, however it is trending back toward moderate risk due to a surge in positive cases.

Burgum pointed out the increase in positive cases, in long-term care facilities, and visitors need to stay home if sick, and be North Dakota Smart with being safe with protective measures.

He added  the increase in serial testing in the state.  He noted that one in five North Dakotans have been COVID-19 tested.

With mass testing events, Burgum said more testing labs have been established in addition to the state lab in Bismarck. 19 testing labs have been set up in the state, as of Tuesday.

Burgum related NDDoH COVID-19 Test Results, posted Tuesday morning.

Results listed are from the previous day.

INDIVIDUALS WHO DIED WITH COVID-19

  • Woman in her 20s from McKenzie County with no underlying health conditions.

COUNTIES WITH NEW POSITIVE CASES REPORTED TUESDAY

  • Adams County – 2
  • Barnes County – 1
  • Barnes Total 31
  • Barnes Recovered 27
  • Benson County – 4
  • Bottineau County – 1
  • Burke County – 1
  • Burleigh County – 51
  • Cass County – 26
  • Dickey County – 1
  • Eddy County – 1
  • Foster County – 1
  • Grand Forks County – 4
  • Griggs County – 5
  • Logan County – 1
  • McIntosh County – 1
  • McKenzie County – 1
  • McLean County – 3
  • Mercer County – 1
  • Morton County – 11
  • Mountrail County – 1
  • Nelson County – 3
  • Pembina County – 1
  • Ramsey County – 1
  • Richland County – 2
  • Rolette County – 2
  • Sioux County – 3
  • Stark County – 12
  • Traill County – 3
  • Ward County – 7
  • Wells County – 1
  • Williams County – 5


BY THE NUMBERS

297,512 – Total Number of Tests Completed* (+4,310 total tests from yesterday)

150,046 – Total Unique Individuals Tested* (+1,680 unique individuals from yesterday)

143,905 – Total Negative (+1,525 unique individuals from yesterday)

6,141 – Total Positive (+157 unique individuals from yesterday)

After investigation it was discovered that a previously reported case from Cass County was from out of state and a case from Walsh County was a duplicate.  

3.6% – Daily Positivity Rate**

 

343 – Total Hospitalized (+6 individual from yesterday)

35 – Currently Hospitalized (-8 individuals from yesterday)

4,957 – Total Recovered (+128 individuals from yesterday)

100 – Total Deaths*** (+1 individual from yesterday)

 

* Note that this does not include individuals from out of state and has been updated to reflect the most recent information discovered after cases were investigated.

**Because the serial tests completed and added to the total number of tests completed can result in new individuals who test positive, the daily positivity rate will be calculated using the total positives for the day by the daily number of tests completed instead of the daily number of unique individuals tested.

*** Number of individuals who tested positive and died from any cause while infected with COVID-19.

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.

 

Commerce Commissioner Michelle Kommer said the North Dakota Department of Commerce will lead a four-part Special Business Briefing to provide step-by-step instruction on the Economic Resiliency Grant (ERG) application process on Thursday, July 30, at 11 a.m. (CST).

The session includes a general overview, including eligible businesses and expenses, application process, post-award responsibilities and a Q&A opportunity.

She added, “As we move closer to the application process, Commerce continues to be committed to serving as a valued resource for our state’s business community, by preparing North Dakota businesses to successfully apply for the Economic Resiliency Grant Instilling consumer confidence through improved infection control in our statewide marketplace is essential to ensuring North Dakota remains open for business, and for our longer-term economic recovery.”

The ERG application process is anticipated to open soon. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding will be approved if the application meets all criteria and funding is available. Additional information, including educational sessions and updates about the program, will can be found at https://belegendary.link/ERG.

She pointed out that August 8  2020  is the deadline for employers to apply for support in the Paycheck Protection program.

NDresponse.gov has more information.

Burgum said the North Dakota Department of Human Services is reminding state residents that if they are struggling to pay their rent, help is available through the Emergency Rent Bridge, which offers short-term rent assistance for qualifying renters.

Since it was launched in late May, the Emergency Rent Bridge has helped over 300 separate renters in 15 counties stay current on their rent and avoid eviction. Individuals who are renting their place of residence, whether it is an apartment, a house, or a manufactured/mobile home that requires payment of lot rent, can apply.

It pays a portion of a participating household’s rent. Payments are made directly to housing providers who must register with the program.

To qualify, a household’s income must be at or below 60 percent of the area median income adjusted for household size and county of residence. Participating households are responsible for paying 30 percent of their total monthly income towards their housing costs.

Renters can learn more and apply online on the department’s website at www.nd.gov/dhs/info/covid-19/rent-bridge.html or by contacting 701-328-1907 or dhserb@nd.gov.

The department’s Emergency Rent Bridge team can also assist renters who need help submitting needed documents electronically.

Housing providers can find information about how to register and validate rent amounts for participating renters on the same webpage.

Funding for the Emergency Rent Bridge comes from federal funding resources provided to North Dakota to address pandemic-related needs.

The governor also signed two amended executive orders:

  • Executive Order 2020-12.2 extends eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits to include direct care providers employed by licensed North Dakota providers, including the Life Skills and Transition Center, who contract COVID-19 as a result of their work.
  • Executive Order 2020-20.1 amends a previous order to include nursing home administrators in the suspension of in-person continuing education requirements for licensing renewal. The original order temporarily suspended in-person continuing education requirements for licensing renewal for health care professionals.

 

The next News Briefing will be on Tuesday August 4, 2020 at 3:30-p.m.

In other state news…

People traveling from Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota to Chicago will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival or face possible fines starting Friday. Chicago officials issued the quarantine order in early July. Initially, it applied to travelers from 15 states but has been updated weekly based on increasing numbers of confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The latest expansion announced Tuesday brings the total number of affected states to 22. Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health, says city residents who work in Wisconsin or vice versa can continue commuting if their job requires it but should otherwise limit their activities.