WILLISTON, N.D. – In response to increasing COVID-19 cases, on Monday, November 9, 2020 City of Williston Mayor Howard Klug signed a COVID-19 Emergency Municipal Declaration.
Utilizing emergency powers, Mayor Klug has issued a city-wide Mask Order.
"After much deliberation, I have decided to enact this emergency declaration requiring the use of masks in the City of Williston," stated Mayor Klug. "We have watched carefully as our neighbors throughout the state have undertaken similar measures and have heard from health professionals and other community groups that the time for action is now."
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.
The declaration allows for the following exemptions:
• Persons younger than school age, although parents and guardians are encouraged to have such younger children wear face coverings when and where appropriate;
• Persons with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering;
• Persons performing job duties where a six (6) feet distance is not achievable, but a mask is inhibitory to the ability to safely and effectively perform the job duty;
• Persons participating in athletic activities where a six (6) feet distance is not achievable, but a mask is inhibitory to the activity;
• Persons actively consuming food or drink;
• Persons driving a motor vehicle alone or with passengers from the driver's household;
• Persons receiving services that require access to the face for security, surveillance, or other purposes may temporarily remove a face covering while receiving those services;
• Persons engaged in religious worship activities; however, face coverings are strongly encouraged;
• Persons giving a speech or performance for broadcast or to an audience; however, those persons shall safely distance from nearby individuals.
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.
The order will remain in effect until the current state of emergency ends. The Mayor or City Commission can modify or terminate the order sooner by a motion of resolution approved by the City Commission.
To read the entire COVID-19 Emergency Municipal Declaration and for additional COVID-19 information related to the City of Williston, please visit bit.ly/WillistonCOVID-19.
In addition, the Upper Missouri District Health Unit (UMDHU), in conjunction with Williston State College (WSC), will host the following upcoming community COVID-19 testing events on the WSC campus in the Art Wood building:
Monday, November 9 | 4-6pm
Monday, November 16 | 4-6pm
Monday, November 23 | 4-6pm
Monday, November 30 | 4-6pm
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.
For additional information on future local testing events, please follow the UMDHU on Facebook (@uppermissouridistricthealthunit).
To read the ND Smart Restart Protocols, please visit http://www.ndresponse.gov/covid-19-resources.
For additional COVID-19 information related to the Williams County level, please visit http://www.williamsnd.com/Department/Communications/COVID-19.
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