 | Photo by Paul Middlestaedt for MPR News
May 13, 2020
Gov. Walz to address state tonight at 6 p.m. | |
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Good morning. You've made it to the middle of the week, so congrats. Here's what you need to know today.
It's a rainy day. Most of the state will see showers and possibly thunder. Twin Cities highs near 60 with nighttime temps in the mid-50s. Statewide, highs in the 50s and lower 60s. More on Updraft. | Forecast
Three counties outside the Twin Cities metro area now account for 25 percent of all the state’s COVID-19 cases. And outbreaks in each of the three counties focus around meatpacking plants. Let’s dive into the numbers...
The largest per-capita outbreak continues to be in southwestern Minnesota. About 1 in 17 people — about 6 percent of the population — in Nobles County have tested positive for COVID-19. The county had 1,291 confirmed cases as of Tuesday. The Nobles outbreak centers around the JBS pork plant in Worthington.
There’s an outbreak in Stearns County, too. Stearns County had fewer than 60 confirmed COVID-19 cases just two weeks ago. As of yesterday, it had 1,512 cases. And in the meantime, workers at the Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing plant in Cold Spring called for a federal investigation as cases appeared at the facility and workers said the company wasn’t protecting them. Nearly 1 percent of Stearns residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
And in Kandiyohi County. Workers at a Jennie-O turkey plant there had tested positive for COVID-19. Kandiyohi had three cases just three weeks ago and there were 376 on Tuesday. Nearly one percent of people in Kandiyohi have tested positive for the coronavirus.
These three counties have much higher infection rates than the Twin Cities. While Hennepin County’s 4,033 cases are by far the most in any county, it also has by far the most residents. Its infection rate is about 0.3 percent. And Ramsey County’s infection rate is even lower, about 0.2 percent.
Here are the latest coronavirus statistics for all Minnesota:
- 12,494 confirmed cases via 120,834 tests
- 614 deaths
- 1,799 cases requiring hospitalization
- 496 people remain hospitalized; 199 in intensive care
- 8,223 patients recovered
Gov. Tim Walz will address the state at 6 p.m., a signal that something significant is afoot. He’ll announce whether to keep Minnesota in a peacetime emergency that gives him a range of powers and, he says, allows for a more-nimble response. He could also decide if it’s time to soon ratchet back on a stay-at-home order and restrictions on bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues.
The Republican-led state Senate has passed a bill to speed up reopening Minnesota’s economy. The measure would let any business with a safety and sanitation plan open when owners choose, circumventing the governor’s restrictions.
But if states buck guidelines on reopening, it’ll “not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal." Those warnings come from Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top infectious disease expert in the U.S. Among the federal guidelines, which Fauci helped create, is the recommendation that states and regions should see a two-week downward trajectory in cases before a gradual reopening.
If you want your pandemic stimulus check direct deposit, you need to sign up today. The deadline is noon. Here are instructions for what to do.
— Cody Nelson, MPR News | @codyleenelson |
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