by April Scheinoha
Reporter
The Pennington County Board has approved fully reopening county-owned buildings to the public. The buildings will reopen Friday, June 26. That decision was made, in part, to allow voters to participate in absentee voting at the Government Center, which was formerly known as the courthouse. County Board made the decision at its meeting Tuesday, June 23.
Even though commissioners approved reopening the buildings, it is up to the discretion of county department leaders whether their offices will fully reopen to the public. Previously, on Monday, June 1, some county departments reopened to the public by appointment only.
Erik Beitel, emergency management director, provided an update on COVID-19 in the county. As of Tuesday evening, the county had 50 cases of COVID-19. All were out of isolation.
Even though there were no active cases at that time, Beitel cautioned the public to remain vigilant. He said he and Inter-County Nursing Service Director Kayla Jore expect an ebb and flow in the number of active cases in the county. Beitel encouraged the public to continue to follow the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.