This afternoon an executive order was issued by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. The order goes into effect noon Friday, March 20, and continues through Monday, April 6. The executive order does three things:
- It closes all restaurants, bars, breweries, cafes, and other on-site dining establishments to on-sale / on-site patrons. Takeout, curbside service, drive-thru, or off-sale services may continue.
- It closes all recreational facilities, gyms, health clubs, athletic facilities, and theaters, including movie theaters and music or entertainment venues.
- It directs all state agencies and offices to accelerate the transition of non-essential personnel staff members to a remote, in-home work site.
The City of West Fargo is working with a number of local entities, including the City of Fargo and Fargo Cass Public Health to determine policies and procedures needed to enact this order. The City of West Fargo website and social media channels will be updated as we finalize these elements.
For now, we are encouraging local businesses to visit the North Dakota Department of Commerce website for Business and Employer resources available for those affected by this executive order. We also encourage the community to follow their favorite local establishments on social media to find out ways to support them during this time.
Additional information
Metro governmental and business leaders will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Friday, March 20, in the Fargo City Hall Commission Chambers to voice strong support for, and further explain, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum executive order closing bars, restaurants, breweries and cafes in the state.
Speakers at the press conference will include:
- Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney
- City of West Fargo - Government Commission President Bernie Dardis
- Cass County Government Commission Chair Chad Peterson
- City of Horace Mayor Kory Peterson
- Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce Chair Elect Sandi Piatz
- Fargo – Moorhead – West Fargo restaurant owner Randy Thorson
In an effort to exercise CDC guidelines pertaining to social distancing, members of the public and media will not be admitted into the Commission Chambers facility during the briefing. Interested parties are encouraged to view the briefing via a livestream hosted on the City of Fargo’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, on the web at http://www.TVFargo.com.