@Applewood I agree. For many of us in relatively unaffected areas, the question is why not? We have 29 counties in which there either have been no cases recorded or all those wh0 tested positive have since recovered (either way, zero active cases). Another two counties lost patients, but between the recoveries and deaths, all cases are resolved.
One county accounts for 60% of the cases in the State, and 77% of the deaths attributed to COVID-19. The top three population density counties (with the biggest cities) account for 83% of the positive tests and 36 of the 43 deaths attributed to the bug (83.7%). This seems counterintuitive, as the best hospitals in the State are in the bigger cities, so one would think the quality of care available in a health care system which has never been short of beds nor equipment would result in better outcomes.
Of the 55221 tested, 96.56% tested negative. Of those who tested positive (1900), 62% (1178) have recovered.
I must note that sadly, health care workers seem to be heavily represented among SARSCoV-2 victims, and I wonder why. With adequate and proper use of PPE, you would think this group would be among the best protected. Sure, it only takes one lapse, and everyone in the lounge could get a dose, which may indicate n-95 protocols to be inadequate. After all, despite the market myth, there are indications this escaped from a BSL-4 lab.
But, using the sample above (and I'm guessing most of the people tested were either contact traces or sick, even, 98.7% of the people in the State either had the virus and got better, or just didn't have it at all. Now that sample size is only 6.9%, but may be skewed by factors noted above and perhaps even false positives, but the idea that roughly 1 person in 100 might be infected in a 45 day period, is hardly cause to put the other 99 out of work.
In small towns, with limited out of the area travel, in rural counties, why not open the town cafe back up? Every day seems like Halloween with people using protocols and bumping elbows (even with gloves and masks on) instead of shaking hands. I bet the 'bowing' cultures of the world are laughing their masks off over that.
North Dakota was never locked down as hard as other areas, nor eastern Montana, and South Dakota not at all.
Too much here is time sensitive, from spring planting, to calving, to even shutting in oil wells and hauling production water and oil from the ones still producing, all 24/7/365 jobs that make no allowances for not being done. No planting, no crops, no crops, and between ND and MT, 80% of the nations Durham doesn't get grown (a main grain for making pasta). In ND alone, 7 million acres of soybeans don't get planted, 2.7 billion pounds of potatoes won't be harvested, etc.
Over 39 million agricultural acres and the nations second place oil producer stop? Nah. Not happening.
I still see about half the folks in town wearing masks, gloves, or both. Many work for larger outfits or franchises which are requiring their employees to wear them, and everyone is touting 'no contact delivery', mainly to avoid lawsuits if someone gets sick (Nope, it couldn't have been us who infected you as a defense). I get that.
But even more damaging, there are people out there making more on enhanced unemployment than they did doing their jobs, and once you stop getting up to do things, it is hard to get back into that--especially for less money when the enhancements run out, and on the low end of the wage scale, the bills expand to cover the money supply, so cutbacks will have to happen, even then.
