Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Tuesday took aim at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) for not instituting more measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 as the region experiences a new wave of infections.
According to The Associated Press, Walz said at a news conference in Saint Paul, Minn., that the state is catching up to the rate of infections in the bordering Dakotas, which currently lead the country for new cases per capita.
During the press conference, Walz announced new restrictions on bars, restaurants and gatherings in the state.
The Democratic governor added that Noem could have taken certain measures to prevent the spread of cases in the area, calling this summer’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota “absolutely unnecessary,” while citing data that tied the event to cases in other states.
“And this one’s a little bit personal because the governor of South Dakota has taken to traveling to other states and criticizing others — now at a time when that state’s hospital capacity is overwhelmed,” Walz said, adding that Noem should have canceled the rally and imposed a statewide mask mandate, which Noem has repeatedly resisted.
The AP reported that a spokesman for Noem, Ian Fury, said in a statement Wednesday that Walz did not accurately portray South Dakota’s hospital situation, citing the state’s COVID-19 website that shows 36 percent of South Dakota’s hospital capacity is free.
However, South Dakota health officials said Tuesday that they include intensive care unit beds designed for infants in their total count of available hospital beds, according to the news wire.
“Governor Noem has provided her people with all of the science, facts, and data, and then trusted them to make the best decisions for themselves and their loved-ones,” Fury added in the statement. “She will be continuing that approach.”
The criticism comes after Noem said in October that the surge in coronavirus cases in South Dakota was due to increased testing, and not necessarily more infections.
“We have triple the amount of testing that we are doing in the state of South Dakota, which is why we’re seeing elevated positive cases,” Noem said at the time. “That’s normal, that’s natural, that’s expected.”
However, South Dakota is currently among the states experiencing the worst outbreaks in the country with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people, according to New York Times data. North Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Nebraska are also in this group.
Noem’s coronavirus response is a direct contrast to the strict limitations Walz has placed throughout Minnesota.
At an October rally, President Trump criticized Walz for limiting his crowd size to 250 people, accusing the governor of playing “games.”
“He’s a weak governor. He’s done a terrible job. He doesn’t know what the hell he is doing. You’ve got thousands of people that are injured by this,” Trump said at the time.
Minnesota is one of 24 U.S. states that saw double-digit percentage increases in the number of coronavirus infections in the past week.