Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken is moving forward with an ordinance to require citizens to shelter-in-place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the city.

The mayor on Saturday asked Gov. Kristi Noem to implement a county-wide shelter-in-place order, but Noem announced Tuesday afternoon the state would not go through with his request. TenHaken is now moving forward with a plan focused within city limits.

"I don't believe it's appropriate considering the data, the facts and the science that we have," Noem said.

The first reading of the ordinance will be Wednesday night with a second reading scheduled for next week. TenHaken's request comes as Minnehaha County saw its number of cases reach 768. The state of South Dakota has reported 988 cases, and 438 of Minnehaha's cases are Smithfield workers, according to the Department of Health. And 107 involve people connected to Smithfield workers, such as family members.

TenHaken said Avera Health supports the ordinance. He did not mention Sanford Health.

It was not immediately clear what the consequence would be for violating the ordinance, if passed, and TenHaken did not say how the ordinance differs from his earlier stay-at-home proclamation.

TenHaken said on Monday that residents would still be able to travel for work and to get groceries and other essential items. The ordinance also wouldn't stop people from doing activities outside as long as they are social distancing.

Had the state approved the order, how it would be enforced and what affect it has on businesses and other entities would be determined at the state level, TenHaken said Monday.

But the decision is now in the hands of the city council, and some say there's too many unanswered questions at this point. The Argus Leader has reached out to all of the city council members to get their perspective on the concept. Four have responded so far.

Council waiting to see draft of order

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, city council members had not seen a draft of the order.

Council member Christine Erickson said she would not comment until she has had the chance to review the draft, because she's unsure of what the language of the order might say. Council member Greg Neitzert also did not comment on the idea because he hasn't seen the order, but said, "I'm anxious to see it."

Council member Theresa Stehly has been fielding phone calls and emails from constituents on both sides of the topic since Mayor TenHaken made his initial request this weekend, with more than two dozen emails Tuesday morning, she said.

"There's too many details I'm not aware of," Stehly said. "That's problematic when you're going to presented with a document on the first reading. It would've been helpful to been on the front end of the conversation."

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She said she's praying for wisdom for the council to make the best decision possible. She knows residents are worried and already feel isolated at this time, and she knows there are residents concerned that some have yet to grasp the concept of social distancingshe said.

"My heart goes out to those citizens who are afraid and socially isolated," she said. "There's a magnitude of issues we're dealing with here."

Council member Pat Starr expressed similar concerns, saying it's difficult for him to decide what he would be in favor of without the ordinance in front of him. His phone as also been blowing up with calls from constituents wanting answers after TenHaken encouraged residents to reach out to the city council Tuesday.

He said because of the back and forth between Noem and TenHaken, he feels he's in the middle of a battle between two political candidates who are trying to weigh out their spots in an arena.

"I don't know how to make people feel secure about what's going on," Starr said. "We're playing chicken with each other."

If the city council does not approve a shelter-in-place order, TenHaken said the city will re-focus its attention on enforcing social distancing practices instead.