Burgum looks to jump start North Dakota economy amid COVID-19

North Dakota has been a leader in the battle against COVID-19 in regard to testing and contact tracing, and now Governor Doug Burgum touts the state as being a leader in the economy.

Appearing on What’s On Your Mind on Wednesday, Burgum says the state “is a great place to get things going.” Burgum’s comments come at a time when the state, along with others across the country, has continued to reopen amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Dakota is hoping to be a leader in restarting their economy, but it all starts with the consumer.

“Consumer confidence is part of what’s going to drive the rebound that we see in the economy,” Burgum said.

Because there is not enough money in the budget to solve pricing problems in the energy and agriculture markets, Burgum says the state has to be creative.

“We have to be targeted and strategic in terms of how we might continue to provide additional economic incentives,” he said. Right now, Congress is debating on additional stimulus plans. In a CNET.com article from earlier Wednesday, the Heroes Act is currently being debated. It would give an extra $1200 maximum on top of what families received in the first round of relief payments, while providing additional support for families, front-line workers and non-citizen US residents.

But, the key locally is testing and isolating cases of COVID-19, Burgum says.

“If we can test and isolate in a needle-type way, we can keep the rest of North Dakota protected and get the economy opened,” he said.