Gov. Doug Burgum thanked law enforcement agencies that have agreed to prioritize “education” over “enforcement” of his statewide mask mandate — but expressed concern over agencies that say they won’t enforce it whatsoever.
At his weekly COVID-19 press conference, Burgum was asked whether sheriff’s offices, like that in McKenzie County, will face consequences for failing to enforce the state’s health order. He did not directly answer that question.
“To the degree that someone in law enforcement can say, ‘I’m gonna enforce the stuff I like, and not enforce the stuff I don’t like.’ I think that should give everybody pause,” Burgum said.
“I think in the posturing of the pandemic, we’ve lost a little bit of sort of the understanding that a civil society is built on the rule of law,” he added.
