City of Williston Mask Order ends

WILLISTON, N.D. – Effective immediately, the citywide Mask Order introduced on Monday, November 9, 2020 by Williston Mayor Howard Klug and approved by the City Commission is now expired.

Until further notice, masks are still required for entering City buildings and for any in-person city meetings. The next City Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 23, will be held in-person in the John Kautzman Chamber Room.

At the City Commission meeting on Tuesday, February 9, Mayor Klug made a motion to rescind the COVID-19 Emergency Municipal Declaration and the citywide Mask Order.

This motion was approved by the City Commission.

The City Commission also approved the resumption of events, including those requiring an alcohol permit, beginning Monday, March 1, provided they follow state guidelines. Event permit applications can be submitted after Monday, February 15.

Additionally, the leasing of the New Army remains suspended except for medical uses, including blood drives, and use by the Williston Senior Center.

"With the mask mandate lifted, this does not mean that we are not going to follow social distancing anymore," explained Mayor Klug. "I strongly encourage the citizens of Williston, the store owners and the employees, to do what is prudent with wearing masks in their establishments. I also want to thank the stores that stayed open, that took care of their customers, and that provided masks."

Citizens are encouraged to continue to minimize spread by respecting posted guidelines for businesses and organizations that require masks and taking advantage of the opportunity to be tested and vaccinated.

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 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Art Wood building at WSC.

The City of Williston, in conjunction with Williams County/Williston Emergency Management, will offer the next BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen screening on Tuesday, February 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the former Sloulin Airport Hangar at 408 Airport Road. Individuals must be 18 years or older and asymptomatic.

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.

UMDHU has available vaccines for individuals age 65 years or older and those from Phase 1A which includes health care workers and long-term care residents. Individuals are encouraged to visit: https://vaccinereg.health.nd.gov/ to register for a vaccine.

The link works best in Firefox of Chrome. The Williston Community Library and the Williston Senior Center are available to assist with registering online.

For additional information on PCR and Antigen testing, please read: http://www.health.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Files/MSS/coronavirus/COVID19_PCRvsSerologyTesting.pdf.

For additional COVID-19 information related to the City of Williston, please visit bit.ly/WillistonCOVID-19.

For additional COVID-19 information related to the Williams County level, please visit http://www.williamsnd.com/Department/Communications/COVID-19.