Good morning and happy Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know.
Sunny and nice again, for the daytime. Twin Cities highs in the upper 50s with a chance of rain after midnight with lows in the upper 30s. Statewide highs from the lower 50s to lower 60s, except near Lake Superior where temps are near 40. Late-night precipitation, rain or snow depending on the temps, is likely across the state. More on Updraft. | Forecast What’s on the radio today The need for hospital beds is expected to increase, and makeshift hospitals are on the table. The goal is to add 2,750 beds, with 1,000 of those in the Twin Cities metro area, according to Joe Kelly, the state’s emergency management director. “If the peak would hit us now, no we do not have enough.” That was Gov. Tim Walz’s message as state officials try to secure more masks and protective gear for hospital workers. Why is there such a mask shortage in the first place? A search for answers found a few primary causes: the U.S. has offshored production for lots of the protective equipment on which health workers rely. Now, facing a pandemic and skyrocketing demand worldwide, countries are blocking export of those products to keep them for their own citizens. Plus, the machines to make N95 masks are expensive and in short supply in the U.S. Here are the latest coronavirus statistics from Monday: Let’s end with a dose of sweetness. A dispatch from our Rochester reporter, Catharine Richert: “Last week, my kids and I cruised the neighborhood on scooters, looking for stuffed bears and other creatures in our neighbors’ windows — glimpses of humor and normalcy in a not-so-normal time. Everywhere around town, people are putting stuffed animals in their windows to surprise and delight cooped-up kids.” — Cody Nelson and the rest of the MPR Newsroom Want this in your inbox every morning? Subscribe to the MPR News Update here. | 
