Burgum convenes COVID-19 Unified Command

 

Today, Governor Doug Burgum convened members of the state’s COVID-19 Unified Command. The Unified Command is led by State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte and adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann.

In an effort to streamline testing, the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) sent a health alert to North Dakota health care providers on Friday stating that providers no longer need to call the NDDoH Division of Disease Control prior to testing. In addition, the Governor, NDDoH and Department of Public Instruction issued guidance for K-12 schools, including recommendations based on four situations with varying risk levels.

Recommendations were released for holding, canceling or postponing events and public gatherings based on three levels of risk, or thresholds.

The NDDoH has hosted several virtual meetings with more than 3,500 participants to provide COVID-19 updates. Groups include health care, physicians, long-term care, business, faith-based organizations, K-12 educators, university systems, corrections and rehabilitation, tribal partners and community leaders.

Information about coronavirus-related response by the North Dakota University System and the state’s 11 public colleges and universities can be found at https://cts.ndus.edu/coronavirus/

In addition, the NDDoH issued a memo Thursday to long-term care providers supporting limited access to nursing homes as recommended by the American Health Care Association.

On Thursday, the NDDoH launched the COVID-19 Health Hotline. The public can call 1-866-207-2880 from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) suspended visitation and the admission of new residents until March 23. On that date, the DOCR plans to re-open admissions with a screening process, strategy for testing, intake processing and areas for holding for 14 days, if needed.

The Department of Transportation has doubled cleaning efforts in public areas including rest stops, Driver’s License and Motor Vehicle locations.

The Department of Commerce has temporarily redirected personnel and financial resources to support businesses and communities affected economically by the coronavirus pandemic, including offering support with state and federal programs.

North Dakota Information Technology is taking multiple steps to ensure that state team members have the software and technology they need to work remotely if needed due to coronavirus.