North Dakota state offices to open a month after businesses

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Most North Dakota state government offices are set to reopen to the public Monday in a limited capacity and a month after businesses in the state restarted with precautions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The state also will use $23.8 million of federal coronavirus aid to update state computer servers, renew software licenses and purchase laptops for employees who “telework” and remain at home, records show.

Republican Gov. Doug Burgum amended an executive order Friday that will allow state offices to operate at a maximum 50% employee capacity.

Burgum said some 7,000 state employees at about 1,600 facilities across North Dakota have been part of a “remote workforce” under his orders since mid-March due to COVID-19.

Burgum said state agencies will follow so-called ND Smart Restart protocols similar to those used by business. Agency directors will decide “how they want to manage their own teams,” he said.

Some of the reopening guidelines for businesses include requiring barbers and cosmetologists to wear masks, prohibiting some high-intensity fitness classes and making movie theaters limit seating and stagger start times.

State employees who have “little to no citizen-facing role will have the opportunity to continue to be part of a remote workplace workforce,” he said.

“The No. 1 priority is workforce protection,” Burgum said.

About 1,200 people work at the state Capitol in Bismarck, but only a small percentage of them have worked from offices since March. Many times, lights aren’t on in the main hallways.

Burgum said tours of the Capitol will still be closed.

North Dakota health officials on Tuesday reported 43 new cases of COVID-19, including 38 in the state’s most populous county that contains Fargo.

Statewide, there were 2,422 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. Cass County has recorded 1,580 of the confirmed cases.

North Dakota has recorded 54 deaths linked to the coronavirus but none were reported Tuesday. The number of patients hospitalized was 40 on Tuesday, down one from the previous day.

The state Department of Health says the testing lab recently experienced a recent malfunction of two pieces of equipment, so 82 positive results have been considered inconclusive and the individuals have been asked to retest. The malfunction has been corrected and has not impacted lab processing, officials said.

Officials said retesting is ongoing over the next “couple of days.” Sixty-five people have been retested, with one positive case. One person has refused to be retested, officials said.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.