RAPID CITY, S.D. – Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender said during his weekly conference call Wednesday he’s hoping for better communication from the state when it comes to reporting positive COVID-19 cases.
Pennington County has seen an uptick in cases over the past few days and says as of now, the increased positive tests are coming from the Native American community.
Mayor Allender also stressed that any information with regards to COVID-19 that the city gets from sources outside of the Department of Health is akin to a rumor, and the city will not report on a rumor.
However, Allender says he was disappointed the Department of Health didn’t notify him when two people who worked at a Wal-Mart store tested positive for the virus.
South Dakota Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton said Wednesday that it was determined that the employees had nearly no contact with customers and they were wearing protective equipment.
That is why the department did not issue an advisory about the two cases.
Still, Allender says he is hoping for better communication from the state.
