The latest North Dakota coronavirus news: Bismarck-Mandan testing, Bismarck emergency, arts funding and more.
Bismarck testing
Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health will host free drive-thru testing at the Bismarck Event Center on Tuesday, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's open to all ages, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participants must enter Bowen Avenue at the Fifth Street intersection and proceed east toward the Event Center entrance. Police will manage traffic in the area. There will be no access to Bowen from Seventh Street during the event. People are asked to travel away from the area via Fifth Street after being tested.
Preregistration is available at https://testreg.nd.gov/ but is not required. Preregistration does not guarantee test availability, and the testing will end early if supplies are exhausted.
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Mandan testing
Custer Health will conduct free drive-thru COVID-19 testing at its Mandan location on Wednesday. The event from 1-3 p.m. is open to all ages, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Preregistration is available at https://testreg.nd.gov/ but is not required. Preregistration does not guarantee test availability, and the testing will end early if supplies are exhausted.
People getting tested should enter the west side of the parking lot. Custer Health will report positive results within 72 hours, while negative results might take up to seven days.
For more information, call Custer Health at 701-667-3370 or connect online at www.custerhealth.com or through Facebook at www.facebook.com/custerhealth.Â
Bismarck emergency extended
Mayor Steve Bakken has signed another extension of Bismarck's coronavirus-related emergency declaration, the city reported Friday.
The initial declaration came on March 15. It’s been extended three times since then. It’s a necessary step to getting state and federal aid.
The latest extension will need to be ratified by the city commission. The declaration would then be in effect until mid-August.
Gov. Doug Burgum and President Donald Trump also have declared emergencies due to the pandemic.
Arts funding
Three organizations in North Dakota are getting a total of $150,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The money is through the federal CARES Act economic rescue package. It’s part of $44.5 million going to 855 arts organizations around the country.
“All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance,” Arts Endowment Chairwoman Mary Anne Carter said.
The Bismarck Art & Galleries Association, Plains Art Museum in Fargo and the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks each are getting $50,000.
“We are extremely grateful to the NEA for this funding that will assist us in continuing our exhibitions and programming over the next two years,” said Linda Christman, executive director of the Bismarck association. “COVID-19 interrupted our 2020 exhibition schedule, preventing three exhibits and two art workshops from occurring. This funding will allow for innovative ways of presenting the visual arts to our region.”
Arts Midwest also has received emergency funding from the National Endowment for the Arts specifically for North Dakota nonprofits impacted by the pandemic. A total of $442,027 was awarded to 135 people and 79 organizations, according to the North Dakota Council on the Arts.Â
North Dakota virus numbers
North Dakota has 4,792 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 525 in Burleigh County and 148 in Morton County. There have been 3,903 recoveries and 90 coronavirus-related deaths. A total of 290 people have been hospitalized;36 remain so. State and private labs have conducted tests on 129,475 people, and conducted 246,903 total tests.