Active cases dropped below 3,000, to 3,784 -- 63% lower than the recent high point in late November. 

Gov. Doug Burgum approved a statewide mask mandate and business capacity restrictions in mid-November and last week extended them into January, while allowing an order suspending all K-12 sport and extracurricular competitions to expire Monday. Active cases statewide have dropped steadily since the measures have been in place, and health experts have linked the decline to the measures, which some people view as a restriction on personal freedoms.

The chairwoman of the North Dakota Medical Association’s Physician Advisory Group issued a statement Saturday thanking North Dakotans who have complied, noting the drop in active cases and also a decline in the 14-day rolling average positivity rate as calculated by the state from 15.6% on Nov. 14 to 8.5% on Dec. 10. The daily rate reported Sunday was 4.82%.

"As we navigate through the transition to a new normal, it brings us hope as health care workers to see community members join the fight to help beat this disease so that we may once again reclaim the life we knew," wrote Joan Connell, field medical officer and pediatrician for the state Department of Health. "But for now, we need to hang tight and do what is best to protect our neighbors, families, and friends.

"As North Dakota’s cases decline, we are confident that these strategies will continue to flatten the curve and mitigate the spread of COVID-19," she said. "This dramatically reduces the burden placed on front line healthcare workers and their ability to provide excellent care for patients."

The health department on Sunday reported the results of 6,167 tests handled Saturday. More than 1.2 million North Dakotans have been tested since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March, with 87,871 positive cases, 82,935 recoveries and 1,152 deaths. Sept. 20 was the last day the health department did not report any deaths in the daily data.

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations on Sunday dropped by 12, to 270. Hospitals in the state had 21 staffed intensive care unit beds and 295 non-ICU beds available, according to the most recent state data. In Bismarck, Sanford Health and CHI St. Alexius Health each had two staffed ICU beds open. Sanford had four staffed non-ICU beds and CHI St. Alexius had nine.

More information

The statewide mask mandate is in effect until Jan. 18, and business capacity restrictions are in place until Jan. 8. Violations could be punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. Repeat violations could lead to a fine up to $1,500 and 30 days in jail. For more information, go to www.bit.ly/38NiT4r and www.bit.ly/3kDdVtb.

All North Dakota counties are in the orange "high risk" level on the state's five-level color-coded system. The risk level determines coronavirus-related protocols in place under the ND Smart Restart Plan for everything from businesses to family gatherings. Those protocols are not enforced.

The state's COVID-19 Smart Restart County Analysis data dashboard can be accessed at www.health.nd.gov/healthmetrics. Information on COVID-19 in K-12 schools is at www.health.nd.gov/k-12-school-dashboard. For more detailed information on coronavirus in North Dakota, go to www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus.