Despite being pressured by the media, South Dakota Republican governor Kristi Noem is refusing to shut down her state.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Noem was not shy in revealing exactly why. Check it out, from Daily Wire:
“Our constitution ensures that the citizen’s right is protected,” Noem told reporters Wednesday. “I agree with the role of our government as set forth in our state and in our national constitution. I took an oath to uphold these constitutions.”
“My role with respect to public safety is something I take very seriously,” the Republican continued. “The people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety. They are the ones that are entrusted with expansive freedoms – they are free to exercise their rights to work, worship, and play – or to stay at home, or to conduct social distancing.”
“The calls to apply a one-size-fits all approach to this problem in South Dakota is herd mentality, not leadership,” Noem stated.
In South Dakota thus far there are only 288 active coronavirus cases, and there have been a total of four fatalities from the virus.
Compare that to New York, for example, where the state has 130,689 active cases and 4,758 fatalities from COVID-19.
Despite refusing to order a statewide lockdown, Noem has been rigorous in pushing social distancing and frequent hand washing to the states citizens.
You can see the rest of Governor Noem's remarks here: