Bismarck City Commission to consider mask mandate - Bismarck Tribune

Bismarck city commissioners next week will consider requiring masks in public, a move made this week by Fargo and Minot in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases. .

Commissioners, sitting as the City Board of Health on Wednesday night, voted 4-1 to have city staff draft a potential citywide mandate and also voted 4-1 to have staff draft a directive for masks in city buildings only.

The votes came after the board listened to concerns from the public health department, the business community and the local school district.

She also said contact tracing teams are overwhelmed, local hospitals are at capacity and that without intervention, Burleigh County could be moved to the red/critical risk level.

Commissioner Steve Marquardt asked Moch why COVID-19 cases are still increasing even though more people are wearing masks.

The board also heard Bismarck Public Schools' concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

City Administrator Keith Hunke informed the group that some city workers have asked him to require masks in city buildings in the face of rising COVID-19 cases in the city and region.

The sharp increase in coronavirus cases has led to a contact tracing backlog of hundreds of cases.

That job previously has been handled by public health officials, but the state late Tuesday announced changes to the contact tracing process aimed at reducing the amount of time it takes to notify positive cases, which has increased recently from one day to three days.

The health department on Tuesday issued a social media plea for the public's help with contact tracing. .

"Please be advised: NDDoH and local public health units are currently experiencing a backlog of COVID-19 case investigations, causing a delay in calls," the post on Facebook and Twitter said.

The spread of the virus and a lack of compliance with investigations has diminished the effectiveness of contact tracing, the health department said.

The health department on Wednesday reported 10 new coronavirus-related deaths including two in Burleigh County. State health officials also reported 516 new COVID-19 cases, including 42 in Burleigh County and 16 in Morton County, raising the statewide total to 34,165.