As you can tell, the weather has turned in North Dakota. Winter is trickling in. And Governor Doug Burgum is warning us to actively #MaskUpND, keep our distance, and slow the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Otherwise, we might expect the virus to run even more rampant.

In today's (October 29) press briefing, Governor Doug Burgum declared that "We need to get serious now." He was urging North Dakotans to take mask wearing and social distancing, now called "physical distance" seriously NOW. The updated distancing term is because the governor wants to "maintain social connection will maintaining physical distance."

The governor says that governments can't force the people to wear masks and maintain physical distance. He thinks that people need their own motivation to wear masks. So, Governor Burgum asked us to think about the kids, the elderly, and hospitals.

"Are we willing to risk the education of students by ignoring a mitigation we know works and is literally free?" Governor Burgum asked in reference to mask and distancing noncompliance in our state. He posed the same question about our elderly people and hospitals. And he also insisted that this is temporary and that we need to slow down the spread and move the risk dial back towards "normal" - whatever that means anymore.

So, will North Dakotans take the governor's (not so subtle) hint to use personal responsibility and mask up? I am thinking that we have gone this long with many not complying, so we should not think that people will change.

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