John Fund of National Review Online highlights one state’s chief executive because of her response to the coronavirus crisis.
Among the governors whose reputation has clearly been enhanced is South Dakota’s Kristi Noem. The 48-year-old Republican, who still ranches her family’s land, didn’t issue a shelter-in-place lockdown order for her state. “The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety,” she said in a public statement in April. She added that the state and national constitutions “prevent us from taking draconian measures much like the Chinese government has done.”
But that didn’t mean South Dakota didn’t take clear steps to control the virus. Noem issued an executive order in March urging the elderly and those with preexisting conditions to stay home and encouraging employees to practice social distancing and to telework if possible.
“We do follow Center for Disease Control guidance,” Noem told Greg Kelly of Newsmax TV. “But we also made decisions that were best for South Dakota. South Dakota is not New York City.” …
… One place where social distancing wasn’t easily possible was the Smithfield Foods pork-processing plant in Sioux Falls. It was declared part of essential infrastructure by President Trump because it alone accounted for between 4 and 5 percent of pork production in America. …
… But the plant’s workers did become part of a large coronavirus cluster in April, with more than 300 workers falling ill and two eventually dying. …
… But Noem kept calm. South Dakota had had 5,438 COVID-19 cases in all so far (1,038 are active) and a total of 65 deaths. “I always tried to be dispassionate and follow the science, facts, and data,” she told me in an interview last month. “One-liners on social media or TV don’t contribute to any solutions.”
Most recently, Noem has acted to reduce tensions over the killing of George Floyd and the resulting protests.
