What happened to the past year? COVID. Here's a timeline of the whirlwind
Mar. 12—Here is a look at the major dates of the past year, focusing on South Dakota and Mitchell, as the coronavirus pandemic changed our lives.
Feb. 27, 2020: South Dakota health officials say they're preparing for community spread of COVID-19, noting that nobody has tested positive for the virus. "For the general public, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is low," said Dr. Joshua Clayton, state epidemiologist. "However, we know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and the same family emergency plans and kits that we use to prepare for the flu, snowstorms, and floods are important now."
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March 2: Sanford Health says it is prepared to screen patients as they arrive to its facilities, and said it does not have a shortage of protective equipment.
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March 10:
* South Dakota announces five individuals have contracted the coronavirus, and one person has died. All of those individuals had traveled, although not necessarily internationally. At that point, confirmed cases in the U.S. numbered 800, with more than 20 deaths.
* With the first grouping of cases including a Davison County resident, Mitchell Mayor Bob Everson was unhappy with the state government response, saying the city should have been "notified immediately."
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March 11: As the Dakota Wesleyan University basketball teams begin national tournament play, the NAIA basketball tournaments are limited to only family members.
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March 12:
* By midday, the NAIA basketball tournaments are canceled and the NCAA announces it will cancel all winter and spring championships. Dakota Wesleyan University announces it will be extending spring break and moving to an online class format.
* Avera Health opens a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at the Avera Grassland Campus.
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March 13:
* Gov. Kristi Noem announces the closure of public schools for one week due to the coronavirus.
* The Class B girls basketball tournament, which was the only state basketball event scheduled for the weekend, was shut down prior to play beginning on the second day of competition. One day earlier, attendance was limited to only parents and students.
* The Great Plains Athletic Conference announces it is suspending sports for three weeks, while the Summit League announces on the same day it will cancel all spring sports.
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March 17:
* City of Mitchell closes City Hall and the Corn Palace to the public.
* DWU announces it has canceled in-person classes for the rest of the semester, delivering courses exclusively online.
* March 19: The South Dakota Secretary of State says that local and state elections can't be moved because of the virus.
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March 27:
* The South Dakota High School Activities Association intends to hold suspended and postponed championship events, including state basketball as late as June.
* Gov. Noem and state officials say peak infections of COVID-19 in the state will take place in late May or early June. She said she anticipated more positive cases of COVID-19 in March and that what South Dakota is doing is working.
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March 30:
* COVID-19 in South Dakota surpasses 100 positive cases.
* The Mitchell City Council approved an emergency ordinance to authorize a number of specific businesses, including restaurants and bars, to close in hopes of reducing the spread.
* Avera Health asks for the public's help to make facemasks.
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April 3: The emergency ordinance from the Mitchell City Council goes into effect, closing some businesses in the city.
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April 6: Gov. Noem announces schools will close to in-person classes for the remainder of the year, and the SDHSAA says athletics and activities will not resume.
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April 12: Smithfield Foods announces it is closing its Sioux Falls facility until further notice due to an outbreak of the coronavirus.
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April 15: The New York Times names Smithfield Foods the largest coronavirus outbreak in the nation.
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April 16: The Daily Republic announces it will cease three print delivery days and switch to an E-edition due to business challenges from the coronavirus.
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April 24:
* Gov. Noem issues stay-at-home orders for high-risk people in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. It was the lone stay-at-home order Noem issued during the pandemic.
* Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo is a canceled due to COVID-19. It was slated to be the 50th anniversary of the rodeo and the first time it had been canceled since beginning in 1971.
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April 28:
* Mitchell city shutdown for some businesses that began on April 3 ends at 25 days.
* Mitchell community organizations hold the first large-scale food distribution event at the Cadwell Sports Complex, serving more than 600 food boxes.
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May 11: Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls begins its reopening process.
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May 12: One of the leading sites in the world for N95 mask production, 3M announces it is expanding its Aberdeen plant by 120,000 square feet. By the end of the year, production at the plant was at 95 million per month.
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May 14: After the national organization canceled involvement, American Legion baseball was authorized to take place in South Dakota but the state's leadership said running the season would be left to local Legion posts and baseball programs.
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May 17: With no in-person commencement ceremony, Mitchell High School graduates participate in a Main Street graduation parade.
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June 3: Dakota Wesleyan University and South Dakota's public universities announce plans to hold in-person classes in August.
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June 5: Dakotafest, the annual agriculture trade show in Mitchell, announced it would be canceled in 2020.
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June 16: Sturgis officials say the 80th edition of the city's annual motorcycle rally will go ahead, saying the city government had little ability to stop the event from taking place.
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June 24: The major names of the South Dakota State Fair's grandstand entertainment cancel their appearances, with the state replacing those events with rodeo contests.
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July 3: President Donald Trump visits South Dakota at Mount Rushmore to celebrate the nation's independence. At the event, there was limited mask wearing, but health officials later reported there was no known outbreak of the virus from the event.
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July 9: The South Dakota Department of Health announces the state's COVID-19 death toll surpasses 100 individuals.
Yankton Sioux Tribe pools resources in battle against COVID-19 spread
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July 10: The Professional Bull Riders rodeo held an event in Sioux Falls with fans, including Noem in attendance. It was among the first professional sporting events nationwide with fans since the beginning of the pandemic.
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July 13: The Mitchell Board of Education votes unanimously to mandate mask wearing for students, faculty and anyone on district property for the upcoming school year. The school board members heard from the public and decided returning to in-person classes was best with the use of masks for all.
Masks to be requirement for all when Mitchell school reopens
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July 22: The SDHSAA unanimously approves the return of fall sports, leaving mask mandates and fan restrictions to individual districts.
Local experts, medical professionals agree: Mask up
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Aug. 5: The South Dakota state amateur baseball tournament opens with no restrictions at Cadwell Park.
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Aug. 7: The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally opens for the 80th annual event. Traffic counts kept by the South Dakota Department of Health were down by 7.5%.
How the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have spread coronavirus across the Upper Midwest
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Aug. 26: The Corn Palace Festival begins in Mitchell and runs for five days. Revenues from the event were down by 50% but city leaders said holding the event was a success. Three of the main grandstand acts pulled out or postponed to next year, but concerts were held outdoors next to the Palace.
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Sept. 11: Smithfield Fields is assessed a $13,494 penalty from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to protect employees from coronavirus exposure. The plant was linked to 1,294 employee cases — involving more than a quarter of the plant's employees — and four deaths.
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Sept. 14: Mitchell resident Reed Bender was removed from the Mitchell Board of Education meeting by police for refusing to wear a mask. Bender was not sitting within 6 feet of anyone else, but the school board required anyone on school property to wear a mask during its July meeting. Two Mitchell policemen entered the meeting and physically removed Bender from the room.
Maskless man removed from SD school board meeting says he's standing up for personal freedoms
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Sept. 27: Dakota Wesleyan University holds its spring graduation ceremony at the Corn Palace. About 100 of the 230 eligible graduates attended the event.
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Oct. 5: During a special legislative session in Pierre, South Dakota lawmakers adopted a resolution with recommendations for Gov. Noem on where to spend the leftover $597 million in federal coronavirus relief funds.
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Oct. 22: Officials with the South Dakota State Fair reported that attendance dropped by 47.4 percent compared to 2019 during the late-summer event.
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Nov. 6: The South Dakota Department of Health announces the state's COVID-19 death toll surpasses 500 individuals.
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Nov. 17: Mitchell Mayor Bob Everson issued an emergency executive order that mandated residents to wear masks inside buildings within city limits if 6 feet of separation isn't able to be maintained, along with several additional exceptions.
Nurses attempt to avoid succumbing to stress as COVID-19 pours through South Dakota
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Nov. 23: After a fiery debate between residents who oppose the city's mask mandate and those in favor, the Mitchell City Council narrowly approved the citywide mask ordinance. The modified mask ordinance was approved in a 5-3 vote.
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Dec 3: The South Dakota Department of Health announces the state's COVID-19 death toll surpasses 1,000 individuals.
COVID-19 tears through Gregory County nursing homes, elderly population
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Dec. 9: Mitchell's struggle with COVID hits the national media scene when the Washington Post writes a long-form story and City Councilwoman Susan Tjarks is interviewed on CNN.
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Dec. 11: The South Dakota Department of Health announces free at-home COVID-19 testing is available to all residents.
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Dec. 15:
* The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine supplies arrives in South Dakota, with the state's medical providers authorized to get the vaccine out to the state's residents.
* Davison County COVID-19 cases decrease by 600 nearly a month after Mitchell implemented a mask mandate.
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Dec. 26: Avera Queen of Peace holds its first COVID-19 vaccine clinic for health care workers and staff on the front lines against the virus.
Graves: Local health care workers deserved to be called 'heroes'
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Jan. 2, 2021: In the state's first COVID-19 update of the new year, the South Dakota Department of Health announces the state's COVID-19 death toll surpasses 1,500 individuals.
Health care heroes named Mitchell Republic's People of the Year for 2020
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Jan. 13: With 50,000 doses administered, South Dakota announces the expansion of vaccinations to Group 1D, which includes the state's residents over the age of 65. The state says they will begin with those age 80 and older and with high-risk conditions.
SD COVID-19 vaccination rollout has been smooth, the future is less certain
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Jan. 19: The Mitchell City Council split 4-4 on a vote to allow Mitchell's mask mandate to expire. Mayor Bob Everson cast the tie-breaking vote to end the two-month ordinance.
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Jan. 27: Mitchell's mask mandate officially expired.
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Feb. 12: Avera Queen of Peace and local leaders open a permanent COVID-19 vaccine clinic site in Mitchell.
Avera Queen of Peace staff calmed by decrease in cases, increase in vaccinations
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Feb. 15: South Dakota drops the general minimum age for a COVID-19 vaccination to 70 and older.
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Feb. 22: Now receiving more than 17,600 doses per week, South Dakota drops the general minimum age for a COVID-19 vaccination to 65 and older.
Mitchell teacher vaccinations to get jump start this week
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March 3: South Dakota opens access to the COVID-19 vaccine to those with at least one of a list of underlying medical conditions, regardless of age.
Mitchell area residents express relief with arrival of COVID-19 vaccine
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March 10, 2021: Gov. Noem issues statement recognizing one-year anniversary of when South Dakota saw its first diagnosed cases of COVID-19, including one death. The state also announced more than 1 million COVID-19 tests have been administered in South Dakota to nearly 430,000 different people. Vaccines were opened to the remainder of priority group 1D: teachers, childcare workers, college staff, some college students and funeral workers.
