North Dakota recently rose to the top of the list of new COVID-19 cases per person. North Dakota is one of the least populated areas in the United States, with only 700,000 people calling it home. It has had 40,000 cases statewide, with more than 6,000 active infections. “The state has a problem we haven’t been able to solve yet,” Travis Enders told VOA. Enders owns a business in Medora, a small tourist town in western North Dakota. The town’s 112 people have resisted wearing face masks in a state long known for resisting government requirements. “North Dakotans are a different breed,” said Jim Bridger, who owns a hotel and bar. “We live in lots of open space… socially distanced our whole lives.” North Dakotans, Bridger said, do not like being told what to do. While he requires workers at his hotel to wear masks, he does not have the same rule at the bar. He keeps the seating distanced and cleans the business each night. Jennifer Morlock, another North Dakotan, is of a different opinion. She believes that the longer the state takes to require masks, the longer the rise in COVID-19 cases will continue. Morlock owns a store that sells bicycles. Her bicycle shop is one of the few businesses in town that requires masks to be worn. “People like to talk about freedom and liberty,” she said, adding “to me, freedom means the freedom to keep my business open. If I get sick, I don’t have that freedom. I’ll have to shut down.”
Title: Small Business Owners in North Dakota Deal with the Pandemic
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/C.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Small Business Owners in North Dakota Deal with the Pandemic' data-article-id='5164'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='10813'>North Dakota recently rose to the top of the list of new COVID-19 cases per person.</span> <span data-start-time='10813' data-end-time='24750'>North Dakota is one of the least populated areas in the United States, with only 700,000 people calling it home.</span> <span data-start-time='24750' data-end-time='35042'>It has had 40,000 cases statewide, with more than 6,000 active infections.</span> <span data-start-time='35042' data-end-time='44875'>“The state has a problem we haven’t been able to solve yet,” Travis Enders told VOA.</span> <span data-start-time='44875' data-end-time='54438'>Enders owns a business in Medora, a small tourist town in western North Dakota.</span> <span data-start-time='54438' data-end-time='68646'>The town’s 112 people have resisted wearing face masks in a state long known for resisting government requirements.</span> <span data-start-time='68646' data-end-time='77938'>“North Dakotans are a different breed,” said Jim Bridger, who owns a hotel and bar.</span> <span data-start-time='77938' data-end-time='86313'> “We live in lots of open space… socially distanced our whole lives.”</span> <span data-start-time='86313' data-end-time='93438'>North Dakotans, Bridger said, do not like being told what to do.</span> <span data-start-time='93438' data-end-time='103604'>While he requires workers at his hotel to wear masks, he does not have the same rule at the bar.</span> <span data-start-time='103604' data-end-time='111021'>He keeps the seating distanced and cleans the business each night.</span> <span data-start-time='111021' data-end-time='118042'>Jennifer Morlock, another North Dakotan, is of a different opinion.</span> <span data-start-time='118042' data-end-time='129667'>She believes that the longer the state takes to require masks, the longer the rise in COVID-19 cases will continue.</span> <span data-start-time='129667' data-end-time='134542'>Morlock owns a store that sells bicycles.</span> <span data-start-time='134542' data-end-time='143271'>Her bicycle shop is one of the few businesses in town that requires masks to be worn.</span> <span data-start-time='143271' data-end-time='155083'>“People like to talk about freedom and liberty,” she said, adding “to me, freedom means the freedom to keep my business open.</span> <span data-start-time='155083' data-end-time='158813'>If I get sick, I don’t have that freedom.</span> <span data-start-time='158813' data-end-time='160938'> I’ll have to shut down.”</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/C.png'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=16198 data-hint-location='44875' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/what_is_a_tourist.wav'>What is a tourist?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a person traveling or visiting a place for pleasure'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/a_person_traveling_or_visiting_a_place_for_pleasure.wav'><span>a person traveling or visiting a place for pleasure</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/a_person_who_immigrates_from_another_country.wav'><span>a person who immigrates from another country</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/a_hotel_or_motel.wav'><span>a hotel or motel</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/a_travel_agent.wav'><span>a travel agent</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=16199 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/what_state_was_featured_in_this_article.wav'>What state was featured in this article?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='North Dakota'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/north_dakota.wav'><span>North Dakota</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/nebraska.wav'><span>Nebraska</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/south_dakota.wav'><span>South Dakota</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/alaska.wav'><span>Alaska</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=16200 data-hint-location='10813' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/north_dakota_has_a_population_of__blank_.wav'>North Dakota has a population of <span class='blank'>700,000</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='700,000'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/70000.wav'><span>70,000</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/700000.wav'><span>700,000</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/370000.wav'><span>370,000</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4637/770000.wav'><span>770,000</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button 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