South Dakota is using Minnesota’s pandemic mandates to lure businesses

Gov. Kristi Noem

PIERRE, S.D. – A major marketing campaign is under way to lure Minnesota businesses to South Dakota.

South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem says Minnesota’s COVID-19 related restrictions, including a mandate to wear face coverings in public buildings, has created an opportunity for her state.

Noem says she’s spoken with several Minnesota business owners who’ve expressed an interest in making the move and says she expects to make “several big announcements” about business relocations in the coming weeks.

In an online ad, Noem says that Minnesota businesses that move to South Dakota will be free from “red tape and regulation.”  Noem promises “we won’t shut them down.”