South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem defended her coronavirus response in a Wall Street Journal op-ed and shamed the media for depicting her as “ill-informed” despite other states that enforced strict lockdowns facing spikes in virus cases and deaths.
“Rather than following the pack and mandating harsh rules, South Dakota provides our residents with information about what is happening on the ground in our state — the science, facts and data. Then, we ask all South Dakotans to take personal responsibility for their health, the health of their loved ones, and — in turn — the health of our communities,” Noem wrote in her piece published Monday.
Noem went on to say that “many of my peers have attempted to stop the spread of the virus without considering their citizens’ social or mental well-being or the state of their economies.”
She added that her approach to the coronavirus earned her the title of “ill-informed” from the media, even though states that implemented harsh restrictions face increases in cases and deaths.
“Many in the media have criticized this approach, labeling me ill-informed, reckless and even a ‘denier.’ Some have asserted that South Dakota is ‘as bad as it gets anywhere in the world’ when it comes to Covid-19 — a demonstrably false statement. At the same time, my critics praise states that issued lockdowns, mandated masks and shut down businesses — lauding these states as having taken the ‘right’ steps to mitigate the spread of the virus,” the Republican governor continued.
Noem then pointed to Illinois, New Jersey, and California as evidence of states that had the so-called “right” approach to the virus, yet face virus increases.
“Despite harsh lockdowns in Illinois, coupled with a mask mandate since May 1, that state experienced a new single-day record in Covid-19 deaths on Dec. 2, and its active case counts are higher, on a per capita basis, than South Dakota’s has ever been,” she wrote.
“California imposed a mask mandate in June and has some of the harshest lockdown orders in the country, including shutting off residents’ water if they have too many visitors. Despite that, the AP recently reported Covid hospitalizations have increased nearly 90% and could triple by Christmas,” she added.
The governor has been repeatedly denounced by Democratic leaders and the media for refusing to shut South Dakota down amid the pandemic, including in a CNN October analysis headlined, “This Republican governor thinks she’s nailed her state’s Covid-19 response. She hasn’t.”
However, Noem continued in her op-ed that South Dakota is headed into the new year with “one of the strongest financial positions in the country” while also continuing “to ensure our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed.”
“Given the oath I swore as governor, it is my responsibility to respect the rights of the people and to manage state operations in a balanced, prudent fashion that reflects the realities on the ground here. I am confident that we have and will continue to come out ahead of many other states in important measures of public health, economic well-being and liberty,” Noem concluded.
