Kristi Noem's grandmother died in a nursing home hit by COVID-19 as the South Dakota governor continued to downplay the virus

• South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's 98-year-old grandmother Aldys Arnold died on November 22.
• She was living at a nursing home in Estelline, South Dakota, where 12 residents died from COVID-19-related causes between November 14 and November 28, the facility's administrator Mike Ward told the Daily Beast.
• Arnold tested negative for COVID-19 before her death.
• Noem has downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19 for months and has not put a mask mandate in place to help prevent the spread of the virus in the state.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's grandmother died in a nursing home hit by COVID-19 in November, as the politician continued to downplay the seriousness of the virus and avoided putting a mask mandate in place despite a rising case count in the state.

Noem's 98-year-old grandmother Aldys Arnold tested negative for COVID-19 before she died on November 22, but 12 others at Estelline Nursing Home and Care Center in South Dakota died from "COVID-related" causes between November 14 and 28, the facility's administrator Mike Ward told the Daily Beast.

South Dakota is one of the states hit hardest by COVID-19, and last week's positivity rate was over 41%, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Mayors have issued local regulations to stop the spread of COVID-19, but Noem has not put any state-wide mask mandates in place.

Insider's Connor Perrett previously reported that the South Dakota Department of Health reported a record 54 new deaths from COVID-19 on November 28. That same day, Noem encouraged state residents in a tweet to go shopping, writing that small "businesses are the lifeblood of so many South Dakota communities."

Families of Estelline residents who died from COVID-19 told the Daily Beast the facility had strict measures in place to stop the spread of the virus, but they were unsuccessful.

Ward told the Daily Beast that the virus likely spread through an asymptomatic staffer, who is believed to have caught COVID-19 outside the facility.

"It's awful," the administrator told the outlet on Monday. "I just don't know what to say. It's devastating."

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for Noem reiterated that Noem's grandmother did not die from COVID-19.

"Every death is tragic. I'd invite you to show your readers where mask mandates have worked - the answer is no where in the world. I'd also encourage you not to politicize the death of her 98 year old grandmother or anyone else. It's callous at best," the spokesperson said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks help slow the spread of COVID-19.

One study cited by the CDC showed that mask use in 124 Beijing households reduced secondary transmission of the virus by 79%.

A CDC investigation into a hair salon in which two hair stylists with COVID-19 avoided spreading the virus to any of their 138 patients over an eight-day period showed that the stylists and all of their patients were wearing masks.

The CDC says masks can help prevent a wearer's respiratory droplets from reaching others, and help protect other people from contracting COVID-19 if the person wearing the mask is unknowingly infected with the virus.

A cloth mask can also offer some protection to the mask wearer, though the CDC said it's studying the extent of the protection. The agency urges anyone older the age of 2 to wear face masks in public settings.

This story was updated with a statement from Noem's office and information about the health benefits of wearing masks to prevent COVID-19.