Tensions rise as virus cases surge in Wisconsin, Dakotas

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A surge of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin and the Dakotas is forcing a scramble for hospital beds and raising political tensions, as the Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as one of the nation’s most troubling hotspots.

The three states now lead all others in new cases per capita, after months in which many residents and politicians shunned mask requirements while downplaying the risks of the disease.

It is increasingly apparent that those choices have come with costs.

In North Dakota, which does not require residents to wear masks and whose 770 new cases per 100,000 residents are the highest in the country, 24 more virus deaths reported Wednesday tripled the state’s previous single-day record.

“The reported number of deaths today is heartbreaking,” said Nicole Peske, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health. “Unfortunately, the deaths and the increase in cases in long-term care are a direct reflection of what’s happening in the community.”

The efforts to combat the quickening spread of the virus in the Midwest and Plains states are starting to recall the scenes that have played out in other parts of the county over the past several months.

In the spring, New York rushed to erect field hospitals as emergency rooms were flooded with desperately ill patients. Then, as Northeastern states got a handle on the outbreak, it spread to Sunbelt states like Arizona, Texas and California over the summer. It then moved into the Midwest.

In Wisconsin, health officials plan to open a field hospital next week at the state fairgrounds to prevent health care centers from being overwhelmed by virus cases, even as state Republicans challenge Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' mask mandate in court.

“We hoped this day wouldn’t come, but...