BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Several groups urged North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Monday to block evictions and foreclosures to protect those suffering economic hardship caused by COVID-19.

The request from groups that include the North Dakota Farmers Union and the American Civil Liberties Union comes as the state reported its second and third deaths from complications of the coronavirus and as the number of cases surpassed 100.

Janna Farley, a spokeswoman for the ACLU’s North Dakota chapter, said the groups, which also include the union representing state employees and teachers, want the Republican governor to issue an order similar to one in neighboring Minnesota that forbid landlords to evict people right now. For mortgages, banks in Minnesota also cannot foreclose if someone is about to have problems paying due to COVID-19 causing them to lose income or incur sudden expenses.

Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said the governor was aware of the push by the groups but had not made a decision on whether to temporarily block evictions and foreclosures.

“We’ll address it,” Nowatzki said.

The second and third victims included a woman in her 80s from McHenry County and a man in his 70s from Morton County. Both had underlying health conditions and both contracted the virus via community spread.

Health officials also said Monday that 11 additional people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the state to 109 cases.

Burgum said Sunday that he has requested a major presidential disaster declaration as the number of cases continues to increase.

North Dakota’s other death came last Thursday, when Roger Lehne, formerly of Mahnomen, Minnesota, died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Fargo on his 93rd birthday.

Lehne’s niece, Julie LaVoy of Naytahwaush, Minnesota, said Lehne’s 84-year-old wife, Teresa, also was being treated for complications from coronavirus at a Fargo hospital. LaVoy said doctors have described Teresa Lehne’s condition as critical.

LaVoy said the couple had been married for nearly 62 years and both were school teachers. The couple had been living at a senior center in Fargo.

Roger Lehne, a Navy medic during WWII, was not put on a ventilator at the VA hospital, Lavoy said. He had expressed years ago his wishes not to be resuscitated, she said.

“A (do-not-resuscitate order) was prepared,” she said. “He was not afraid to die.”

LaVoy said Lehne may have refused a ventilator even without the order so that someone else could use it.

“That absolutely would have been his character,” LaVoy said.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte on Sunday amended a confinement order for people coming into the state from out of the country or from states with widespread community cases.