RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Council has ended the COVID-19 restriction ordinance and the limited re-opening resolution, at Monday night’s meeting.
The council voted 7 to 2 to approve a resolution ending the controversial ordinance passed last March, and replacing it with language that encourages businesses to fully reopen, but do so in the safest possible manner in light of the spread of COVID-19.
Voting no were Ward 2 Councilmember Ritchie Nordstrom, and Ward 5 Councilmember Laura Armstrong. Nordstrom tried and failed to have language added to the resolution calling for the city to respond to complaints about businesses not following coronavirus protocols.
Armstrong made a plea to keep the restriction ordinance and the crowd limit resolution in place for just a few more weeks to ride out the latest expected peak of COVID-19 activity in the state.
Aldermen and residents arguing in favor of ending the restrictions cited recent comments by Governor Noem, who says the state left communities and residents free to take their own steps to slow the spread of COVID-19, instead of a statewide lockdown.
