Caring for people has been an honor and privilege of mine as a Registered Nurse in the state of South Dakota the last 13 years. The state of healthcare in South Dakota right now is scary.  Healthcare professionals are not the frontlines of this fight. They are the last line of defense in the fight against COVID-19 and they’re struggling.  The front line is the public who is failing them under Governor Noem's  leadership.  The public has been given too long to decide to do what is right.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has always said wearing a mask decreases spread of the virus to others by person wearing it.  Now, the CDC says growing evidence shows masks protect people on both sides of them.  The debate about masks in SD has gone on too long. Gov. Noem has risked the lives of too many South Dakotans.  There have been several national news articles in the last week highlighting the rapid spread of the virus here.  A USA TODAY article from November 14, 2020 stated that South Dakota’s infection and death rates are on par with war-torn nations and predicted approximately 1,600 South Dakotans would die before the peak is over if action is not taken.  Our state NEEDS a mask mandate and we are well OVERDUE for it.  No individual’s civil liberty includes the right to endanger the lives of others and neither does Gov. Noem's role in public office.

Please sign this petition to demonstrate that there are still many of us in favor of a mask mandate now more than ever!!

Sincerely,

Katie Moore, RN BSN