The statewide mandates, Carson said, made a noticeable difference in how North Dakota's case numbers fell compared to South Dakota's. "Cases fell more slowly in South Dakota than in North Dakota," he said.
What's more, "
although recorded cases of positive Covid-19 tests were roughly the same in both states, North Dakota was issuing about four times as many tests as South Dakota at the time and had a positivity rate that was about four times lower."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, North Dakota has tested 7 percent more of its population than South Dakota.
Nineteen percent of tests are still positive in South Dakota, according to Johns Hopkins University, compared to less than 4 percent in North Dakota.