VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Barnes County moved to the “Orange” risk level due to the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported this month. On Monday, November 9th the city of Valley City will implement a mask mandate for businesses and their patrons.

Meanwhile, Valley City Public Schools Superintendent Josh Johnson said we continue to see low positive numbers in our school population. However, our students in quarantine have increased because of household contacts. But we are not planning to make any changes with our educational plan because of this new risk level and will closely monitor the situation along with City-County Health District office. Johnson credits the students and staff member for helping contain the spread of this virus in the school district. He said their District Emergency Response Team is scheduled to meet on Tuesday with our Valley City Health Team to discuss any necessary recommendations that may be presented to the School Board during their regular meeting on Thursday, November 12th.

The full interview with Johnson is available below.