COVID-19 Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Big Sioux Media Sports Network

More Dell Rapids Summer Events Change Due to Virus

May 15, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Image from CDC website

Weeks after the announcement that the annual Dell Rapids Relay for Life is cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus, two more summertime events in Dell Rapids are being altered because of the virus.

The Dell Rapids Legion Post 65 made an announcement on Facebook the night of Wednesday, May 14th. After a meeting via teleconference, a decision was made to cancel the 2020 Legion Cootie Days. As posted on their Facebook page, “It was a tough decision to cancel cootie days and was not taken lightly. Safety of the community has to take precedence, although disappointing, we could not have the carnival.” The Legion is planning on working with Thomas Carnivals for the 2021 event.

The Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce is also making changes to their annual Quarry Days celebration, which was to be held on June 26th through 28th. The chamber is postponing the annual Quarry Days celebration to August 8th and 9th.

Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce President Dan Ahlers said, “The chamber believes moving Quarry Days is a responsible step in promoting public safety. We hope having it in August will provide a safer, more acceptable date and bring a sense of normalcy back to our summer.”

Less Restrictions on Businesses in Dell Rapids

May 10, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

As of Monday, May 4th, businesses in Dell Rapids have been able to operate with less restrictions. The Dell Rapids City Council passed the second reading of Ordinance 878, which loosens the restrictions placed on businesses by Ordinance 876.

The biggest change with the new ordinance is the number of patrons the businesses can have. With Ordinance 876 businesses could only allow up to 10 patrons at a time, but Ordinance 878 will allow up to 50% of the maximum occupancy as determined by the City of Dell Rapids building or fie codes, whichever is greater. Businesses should also attempt to establish a minimum six-foot distance between any tables, chairs, or booths. That distance does not need to be followed by members of the same household.

City-owned property still remains closed until further notice by the Mayor. Those properties include City Hall, Dell Rapids Carnegie Library, the swimming pool, public bathrooms, and ball fields to organized groups or teams. The Mayor did open up the playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, and ball fields to non organized groups and teams on Friday, May 1st.

Dell Rapids Mayor Tom Earley did state the churches were not tied to this city ordinance and could operate as they wished.

Mayor Earley also said during the council meeting, “My concern and my worry is as things start to loosen up somewhat and less restrictions that people don’t interpret that to mean the virus not as deadly as it used to be. No matter what we do, it doesn’t change anything about this virus. The virus is still the same. I think most people by now will realize that. The purpose here is to work with our businesses and as long as we maintain communication with them, what we expect, etc, I’m sure all of them are willing. Besides their businesses being at stake, they want to do the right thing. They don’t want to do anything that’s gonna screw up their businesses.”

Full Text of Ordinance 878

Dell Rapids Ordinance 878

South Dakotans Called to Let It Shine During Coronavirus Pandemic on May 1st

April 28, 2020 by Submitted

Success of Sioux Falls “Lighting Up the Night” Inspires Statewide Event

Sioux Falls, SD – Momentum is building around a statewide community formed with the mission of spreading hope and light to those impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

On March 30, 2020, Sioux Falls came together to light up the night. The purpose was to show support and appreciation for healthcare workers here and around the world; to spread hope to those who are sick during this pandemic; and to honor businesses that have closed their doors, people who have lost their jobs, and those who are struggling with mental health. The event was an overwhelming success.

As a result, organizer Tony Erickson decided to take the event statewide. “These are trying times for everyone whether you’re a frontline worker, someone who is sick, a business owner that is hurting, or a person trying to work from home and help your children learn,” said Erickson. “But, as South Dakotans, we are strong, we are resilient, and we’re good at being there for one another.”

On or about the night of May 1st, residents, communities, schools, and businesses across the state are invited to go outside to “let it shine.”

Helicopters, planes, and drones will take to the skies, and photographers will be a safe distance on the ground, to capture photos of businesses, schools, and households. Everyone is urged to turn on their lights that night. At the Sioux Falls event, families took to their driveways and yards, using flashlights, fire pits, Christmas lights and everything in between. A Facebook livestream of that event had reached almost 90-thousand people and 36-thousand people engaged in the post.

“As I hung out the side of the helicopter with my camera that night, I was blown away by all the twinkling lights over Sioux Falls. I could see everything and it’s almost hard to put into words,” said Collin McKenzie, partner with Storybuilt Media which helped with the project. “I’m looking forward to seeing what South Dakota looks like all lit up as well.”

In addition to shining hope, the mission is to also raise funds for the South Dakota Community Foundation’s Coronavirus Response Fund. The purpose of the fund is to ensure that South Dakotan’s impacted financially by the pandemic get the financial help and support they need.

“Momentum is building,” said Erickson, “and details continue to come together. We cannot wait to see what our communities come up with to show their support.”

Currently plans are being made to light up school stadiums across the state. Black Hills Aerial Adventures has committed helicopters to the event. And efforts continue to secure drones, videographers, and photographers. Tee shirts are being designed and proceeds from the sale will also go to the Coronavirus Response Fund.

Weather will play the biggest role in the timing of the event. But, for now it is planned for 9:30 pm CST on May 1, 2020.

While organizations and families plan how they will light up the night, safety is encouraged first and foremost. “This is not an invitation for people to gather in large groups,” stresses Erickson. “We need to practice safety and social distancing. Have fun, get creative, but do so in a way that is respectful of everyone’s health and wellness.”

Special thanks to all who are donating their time and talents to the effort: Storybuilt Media, Robb Long Photography, Ascending Innovation, writer Shannon Steffke, musician Kory Van Sickle, and MRG Sports and Promo. More sponsors and individuals will surely be added to the list.

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Tips for Health During Covid and Summertime

April 23, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Interview with Dr. Matt Herber, Dell Rapids Avera Clinic

Photo taken from Dell Rapids Avera Clinic website

As the days get longer and the weather turns to summer, precautions and tips to stay healthy during this time of quarantine are important. Dr. Matt Herber from the Dell Rapids Avera Clinic took time to talk to Big Sioux Media on this topic to inform people what to do now that the clinics and hospitals are seeing fewer patients, plus he also gave an update on the Covid-19 virus situation.

Some of the biggest activities as the days get warmer are riding bikes or scooters, spending more time in the sun, and spending time at the lake. Dr. Herber mentioned that it’s very important for everyone to follow safety precautions when it comes to riding bikes by wearing all the protective equipment, lake safety with life jackets, making sure to wear sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher when spending time outside, and the signs to look for when it comes to heat exhaustion versus heat stroke.

Dr. Herber also provided information on different injuries that are more common in the summer time. Some of the more common injuries include burns, strains and sprains, and cuts and scrapes.

When trying to determine if someone needs stitches for cuts, Dr. Herber said, “It depends a lot where on the body it is. If it’s a small cut on the forearm, or even on the face, if there’s not much tension on the wound that’s making it spread real easily, and if it’s not terribly long and it doesn’t spread very easily, usually you can just leave it be and cover it with a band-aid.” He mentioned that one of the biggest indications for needing stitches is how much tension there is pulling on the wound.

This information is important, especially now, because of the limited contact of people at the clinic in Dell Rapids. Dr. Herber mentioned that the clinic and hospital have been operating and about half staff for the past few weeks. Of the four providers at the clinic, only two are working each day. He mentioned that part of that is to prepare for the surge and also to limit patient contact. The clinic has a respiratory section that has a completely separate entrance along with the nurse and provider in full safety gear. That section is for anyone with any cough, any cold symptoms, or any fever. The other part of the building is for things such as urgent care and emergency, which also has its own entrance.

“The best practice would be to be to probably call in first. We know most of our patients pretty well. If we know something is out of character for a patient, we’ll know if they can just be treated over the phone or if we need to see them or if we need labs or x-rays. The best thing is to start with is just to call your provider,” said Dr. Herber. “We’d much prefer those calls rather than having you come to the clinic for something we could have taken care of over the phone. If it’s something minor we can check via video, we can do that too.” Dr. Herber mentioned that patients should do this to eliminate an increased risk of contracting any infection.

Dr. Herber also provided some information on Covid-19 and how to tell the difference between the virus and allergies for this time of year.

“The three big things right now we’re looking for are new development of a cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Those seem to be the most common things that have been the trigger that tells us we have a concern,” he said. “Especially this time of year when there’s hay fever and allergies, it’s very difficult to know. Usually it’s fever, cough, and shortness of breath. And of course there could be the body aches and just not feeling well.”

He also mentioned that there still aren’t enough tests to test everyone yet, so they are still trying to save the tests for those that are older and have more health problems.

Community Updates on COVID-19

March 16, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

The state of South Dakota has a website that has more information about the virus, COVID.sd.gov.

Big Sioux Media has had an opportunity to talk with a few people and groups on how the COVID-19 situation is having an impact on them and the community. Below are the full interviews we’ve done to date:

April 9th: Dr. Summer Schultz, Dell Rapids Superintendent	Dr. Summer Schultz gave us another update of things happening at Dell Rapids School. Topics include updates to remaining school year calendar, locker cleanup, textbook drop off, graduation, summer Haven, and construction projects.
March 31st: Dr. Summer Schultz, Dell Rapids Superintendent	Dr. Summer Schultz gave us another update of things happening at Dell Rapids School. Topics include lunch program update, building and grounds use update, and legislative bills update.
March 25th: Dr. Summer Schultz, Dell Rapids Superintendent	Dr. Summer Schultz gave us another update of things happening at Dell Rapids School. Topics include extended school and building closure, e-learning, activity, lunch program, and emergency Haven updates.
March 20th: Justin Weiland, Dell Rapids City Administrator	Justin shares information from the city during the COVID-19 situation.
March 19th: Dr. Summer Schultz, Dell Rapids Superintendent	Dr. Summer Schultz gave us another update of things happening at Dell Rapids School. Topics for this update include lunches, prom, critical infrastructure employee child care, and internet access.
March 19th: Brittany Moeller, Dell Rapids Carnegie Library	The explains some of the changes happening at the library during the COVID-19 social distancing recommendations.
March 16th: Dr. Summer Schultz, Dell Rapids Superintendent	Dr. Summer Schultz tells us about what the school is currently doing during this COVID-19 situation.

If you are in need of assistance over the coming weeks, please read the information on the poster or call 211 or visit www.dellrapidsrelief.com. If you’re able to volunteer to help those in need, please visit www.dellrapidsrelief.com

List of community updates:

Driver’s Ed Registration: Registration will not occur on Wednesday, April 22nd. Information will be released soon for upcoming plans for the class.
Dell Rapids St Mary School: Closed through end of the school year. Graduation postponed until June 12th.
Dell Rapids Schools: Closed through end of the school year. Graduation changes TBD.
Relay for Life: The 2020 Relay for Life event in Dell Rapids for July 24th has been cancelled
City Playgrounds: Effective immediately, all Dell Rapids playground equipment, ball fields, basketball/tennis courts are closed to the public. The trails and open park spaces remain open.
County Fair: The dining area will be closed, but will continue to offer food out of our hot case and our full grill menu to go. County Fair also asks patrons not bring in their reusable bags into the store right now.
Lewis Drug: Pharmacy access will be drive-thru only. OTC products will still be available to purchase at the window or through grocery store check-out.
Pizza Ranch: No dine-in, but still open for carryout and delivery
PINZ: Bowling and dine-in closed, but will be open Wed-Sat 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. for carryout or delivery (11-1 pm, 5-7 pm) of meal orders
Norby’s: Norby’s will have their menu items available “to go” and for curb side service. Full menu is on their Facebook page
Papa’s Pub: The main dining area will be closed. The bar side will remain open for carryout and delivery.
LaDelle and Fourth: Lobby is open for takeout and also offering curbside delivery
Dells Theater: Closed until further notice, but the lobby is open for concessions on Friday and Saturday for popcorn and snacks
Chase the Ace Fundraiser: It’s NOT canceled…it’s just PAUSED! When we fight this virus off these ladies WILL be back on Wednesdays and will pick up where they left off at Norbys’!
Dells Nursing and Rehab Center: Due to the number of COVID-19 cases reported in South Dakota, we are NOT allowing visitors or volunteers at this time.
Dell Rapids City Offices: Closed to the public, but email or call for questions. Employees still working
Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library: The library will be closed until further notice. Still doing the Facebook live story times and chapter book readings.
Click here to read Dell Rapids St Mary School updated policy on building use
Click here to read Dell Rapids School updated policy on building use
Dell Rapids St Mary Carnival: Postponed until June 9th
Dell Rapids St Mary Prom: Postponed with a date TBD
HS Club Baseball: Entire season is cancelled.
SDHSAA: All spring sports seasons are cancelled as well as the postponed winter events.

Covid-19 Hits the Area

March 12, 2020 by Matt Larson, Big Sioux Media

Image from CDC website

The state of South Dakota has a website that has more information about the virus, COVID.sd.gov.

UPDATED (March 13th, 2020 – throughout day) – The following events in the area have had changes due to the virus:

Dell Rapids update for March 16th – 20th:
- Upon recommendation from the Governor’s Office, and in conjunction with spring break, DRPS will be closed March 16-20. At this time, we intend to open on March 23, however, the situation could change based on further recommendations. In the event our closure lasts longer than anticipated, students were sent home with district-issued devices.
- Teachers will report next week, and we intend to provide basic, remote learning options for all grade levels on Tuesday and Wednesday. The lessons and activities are not mandated, rather they will provide a valuable experience for staff, students and parents. Any feedback you can provide our staff will be helpful and this will be the first “test run” for most teachers.
- I realize this type of closure makes it difficult for families who depend on the school lunch program. We will be providing “grab and go” lunches in both the middle (south) and elementary school lobbies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Any student can come between 11:30-12:15 and utilize their traditional form of lunch payment. If you would benefit from a delivered lunch, this will be an option as well. A brief survey will be distributed this weekend, allowing us to get an estimated headcount and arrange deliveries.
- We will continue to provide COVID-19 updates on the district web site and Facebook page. Our Brightarrow notification system is having technical issues, therefore, I may not be able to alert you to new notifications.
- Thank you for your patience this afternoon. I wanted to due diligence on the situation and felt all options needed to be explored. I want nothing more than to see all my students back safe and healthy on March 23! –Dr. Summer Schultz
Dell Rapids St. Mary School update for March 16th – 20th:
- Following the recommendation of Governor Noem, St. Mary will be closed next week Monday-Wednesday in addition to Thursday and Friday’s planned Spring Break. No students shall report to buildings during this time. St. Mary staff will report at normal hours on Monday. These days will be treated the same as In-Service Days in that there will be no educational requirements during this time.
- Due to next week’s closure, we are planning to have school on Monday, March 23. This was a scheduled off day but due to these changes we will be adding it as an educational day. We would encourage parents to not change plans that were already scheduled on this day off.
- Our staff will be using next week to prepare for the potential for online learning in the event of a long-term closure. More information will be communicated with you next week as that plan starts to take shape.
- A plan for Parent-Teacher Conferences will be made next week as well. We are hoping to keep them on Wednesday with teleconferencing, but need to do more research into what that can look like.
The Dell Rapids Medical Group and Hospital is requiring patients to call before going to the hospital. Please follow this request to keep our community and hospital staff safe.
At the request of Governor Noem, the remainder of the SDHSAA Class B Girls Basketball tournament is postponed. In addition, all SDHSAA state basketball tournaments for next weekend, along with the Visual Arts competition, are also postponed. The Student Council Convention, all Region music contests, and All-State Band scheduled for later this month are cancelled.This is a difficult decision and comes amid constant conversation and information sharing between the SDHSAA, the Governor’s Office, and the Department of Health. We will evaluate the future of the postponed events in concert with those same entities. The safety of everyone involved is our foremost concern, followed by exploring all options to provide the student-athlete with the opportunity to finish their season.We thank everyone for their patience and understanding in a very difficult time, and we apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.Dan Swartos, SDHSAA Executive Director
DSU is postponing, moving to virtual, or cancelling all events through April 13. This precautionary measure is to lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure to the university community. Updates are available on dsu.edu regarding specific events.

UPDATED (March 12th, 2020 – 10:00 p.m.) – Here is an updated announcement from the Dell Rapids and Dell Rapids St Mary Schools:

DRSM School Announcement

UPDATED (March 12th, 2020 – throughout day) – The following events in the area have had changes due to the virus:

The Dell Rapids Middle School choir’s National Anthem performance at the Sioux Falls Stampede game scheduled for March 27th has been cancelled due to the hockey league suspending games.
The Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library has posted this update to their Facebook Page:
In effort to protect our patrons and staff from the continuing spread of influenza and the rapid spread of COVID-19, the library has been and will be implementing the following changes immediately:
- ALL library programming is cancelled through the month of April. You can still join us online TUESDAY mornings at 9:00 AM for our Storytime Live on Facebook.
- All stuffed animals and toys have been pulled from the children’s area, cleaned and stored until further notice.
- All library surfaces and computers are being cleaned daily.We are so sad to have to cancel our library programs but the health and safety of our patrons and staff are the most important thing to us. We are looking forward to finding new and creative ways to reach out to everyone online via Facebook Live and other social media outlets.We are still OPEN to the public, but will NOT be having any programming events until further notice.Please stay tuned for any further updates.
The 2019-20 Big Sioux Youth Basketball League (Harrisburg) tournaments have been cancelled. This includes the 2nd Grade Boys and 2nd-6th Grade Girls Tournaments that were scheduled to be played on Mar 14 and the 3rd-6th Grade Boys Tournaments that were scheduled to be played on Mar 20-21. Tournament games will not be rescheduled.
The SDHSAA has implemented a limited ticket policy for the the girls State B Tournament in Spearfish starting with tonight’s session.
The South Dakota Wrestling Coaches Association has officially canceled the AAU youth regional tourney on Saturday at the Corn Palace and the youth state tourney on March 28-29 in Rapid City
Mayor Paul Ten Haken of the City of Sioux Falls is declaring a state of emergency in Sioux Falls as a result of coronavirus outbreak. This emergency limits all large gatherings of 250 people or more in Sioux Falls for the next 14 days at city-owned facilities.
All public universities in South Dakota will extend their spring break by one week to Friday, March 22nd and cancel non-essential travel
Dakota Wesleyan University will be extending spring break for students through Tuesday, March 17. All classes currently being delivered face-to-face will transition to an online format beginning on Wednesday, March 18. The anticipated date for resumption of face-to-face course delivery is Monday, March 30.
The NAIA has cancelled the men’s and women’s national basketball tournaments. The men were playing at the Sanford Pentagon, and the women were playing in Sioux City.
The Indoor Football League (Sioux Falls Storm play in this league) will suspend its season following games Saturday
The NCAA has cancelled all winter and spring sports championships.

Original Story (March 11th, 2020) – As the Covid-19 virus spreads across the country and globe, the virus has now reached South Dakota and the area. The South Dakota Department of Health confirmed five positive tests on Tuesday, March 10th and three more on Wednesday, March 11th. The state has had 27 tests come back negative with 11 more pending tests. There has also been one death in South Dakota from a positive test in Pennington County.

Minnehaha County has three of the eight positive tests as of Wednesday. The West Central School District closed their schools on Wednesday and they will remain closed until Monday, March 16th for deep cleaning. Augustana University in Sioux Falls is extending its spring break for students until Friday, March 20th. Several events in Sioux Falls have also had change of plans. The Men’s NAIA Division II National Basketball Tournament being held at the Sanford Pentagon will be limited to immediate family and essential personnel only. No fans will be allowed to attend the games. The same is true for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls as well as the Women’s NAIA Division II National Basketball Tournament being held in Sioux City.

Dell Rapids and Dell Rapids St Mary schools have not made any announcements of school closings as of now, but they are constantly monitoring the situation in the state. Dr. Summer Schultz sent an email Wednesday evening, which is shown at the bottom of this page.

Also as of Wednesday afternoon, Executive Director of the South Dakota High School Activities Association Dan Swartos has said the state basketball tournaments will play as planned without restrictions. The girls class B tournament will be held in Spearfish March 12th – 14th. The boys class B, girls and boys class A, and girls and boys class AA tournaments will be held March 19th – 21st. Swartos did mention in a release that they will continue work with the state agencies to monitor and continually reassess the situation.

Experts have said that people should be implementing social distancing/avoid large crowds, have good hygiene which includes washing hands for at least 20 seconds and wash them often, do cleaning of their surroundings, cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and if you’re feeling sick to stay home. The state of South Dakota has a website that has more information about the virus, COVID.sd.gov.

DRHS Covid-19 Email - 3-11-20

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