Two Rural States With GOP Governors And Very Different COVID-19 Results

One of America’s governors most skeptical about COVID-19 has been South Dakota’s Kristi Noem. She’s loudly refused to impose any shutdowns or a statewide mask mandate.

Noem’s devotion to keeping her state open has made her a celebrity in the Republican Party.

She campaigned for President Trump in 17 states, and touted her own record along the way.

“What I did in South Dakota is what we say Republicans always believe,” Noem says. “We just did it. We just did it, and look at what is happening in our state.”

One of the things happening in South Dakota is an infection rate that’s among the worst in the nation, at about 8,000 cases per 100,000 people.

In Vermont, another small, rural state with a Republican governor, Gov. Phil Scott has embraced safety measures, and the differences are pretty stark. Like South Dakota, Vermont has fewer than 1 million residents, most of whom don’t live in cities. It has about 500 cases per 100,000 people. That’s the lowest rate in the nation.

Scott has embraced statewide shutdowns and mandated masks. When he reopened the state’s economy, he did it slowly.

“My decisions throughout this pandemic, from the closures and other mitigation steps in March and April, to the methodical reopening of our economy, hospitals and schools has been based on the data, the science and the recommendations of our health experts,” Scott said.

Vermont has recorded a total of 3,310 confirmed coronavirus infections since the pandemic began. South Dakota has recorded more new coronavirus infections than that so far this week, with 5,559 confirmed cases. And South Dakota has more than 10 times as many total COVID-19 deaths.

Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine says his state chose a balanced approach.