Williston – The citywide Mask Order introduced on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 by Mayor Howard Klug and approved by the City Commission remains in effect following the expiration of the statewide mask mandate on Monday, Jan. 18.
"While our COVID-19 numbers for Williams County remain under 100, until more vaccines are distributed, it is important that we continue to keep what has worked in place," emphasized Mayor Klug.
The order will remain in effect until the current state of emergency ends. Currently, Executive Order 2020-03 which declared a State of Emergency for North Dakota is still active; thus, the citywide Mask Order remains until further action from the City Commission.
As a reminder, the Mask Order states:
"Every person shall, within the city of Williston, wear a face covering over the mouth and nose in all indoor environments where they are exposed to non-household members and where social distancing of six (6) feet or more cannot be assured and in all outdoor settings where there is exposure to non-household members, unless there exists ample space of six (6) feet or more to practice social distancing."
These measures are being mandated with the strongest possible recommendation; however, there is no penalty for non-compliance with the order.
This order does not prohibit law enforcement or local officials from enforcing trespassing laws or other applicable laws in removing violators at the request of businesses or property owners.
To read the entire COVID-19 Emergency Municipal Declaration and print a Mask Order sign for your business, please visit bit.ly/WillistonCOVID-19.
In addition, the suspension on the use of liquor licenses for the purposes of special events remains in place until further notice.
The City of Williston's internal COVID-19 Tiered Response Guidelines also remain in effect at the High Level.
Measures taken at the High level include:
• Office vestibules and reception areas remain open to the public, but masks are required for all visitors and shall be provided at entry points. Staff meetings are by appointment only.
• Until further notice, all public meetings will be offered virtually.
• Hand sanitizer will be made available in all office vestibules, reception areas, and conference rooms for staff and public use.
Citizens are encouraged to continue to minimize spread through appropriate social distancing, respecting posted guidelines for businesses, and taking advantage of the opportunity to be tested.
Currently, the Upper Missouri District Health Unit (UMDHU), in conjunction with Williston State College (WSC), continues to offer Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing on Mondays from 4-6 p.m. in the Art Wood building at WSC.
The City of Williston, in conjunction with Williams County/Williston Emergency Management, will offer future BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen screenings but dates and times are subject to change.
COVID-19 testing events are open to the entire community.
Testing is free and takes only minutes, with walk up and drive thru options available. Pre-register for testing at testreg.nd.gov to minimize waiting time and expedite testing. Pre-registration is not required if an individual has previously been tested.
For additional information on future local testing events, please follow UMDHU on Facebook (@uppermissouridistricthealthunit) and monitor the City of Williston website at: bit.ly/WillistonCOVID-19.
For additional information on PCR and Antigen testing, please read: https://www.health.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Files/MSS/coronavirus/COVID19_PCRvsSerologyTesting.pdf.
For additional COVID-19 information related to the Williams County level, please visit http://www.williamsnd.com/Department/Communications/COVID-19.
Reader Comments(0)