Jan. 29, 2021
We’ll have a lot of clouds this weekend, plus snow and freezing drizzle at times Friday night and Saturday morning. That mix is expected to transition to mainly drizzle and then snowflakes as we go through Saturday afternoon and evening. The snow tapers off in most areas Sunday morning. Find the latest from Updraft. A COVID-19 outbreak among busing staff at Bloomington Public Schools has forced the district to return to distance learning for two weeks. At least eight bus drivers and other staff in the transportation department have tested positive for the virus. District officials notified parents Thursday in an email about what they said was a difficult decision to suspend in-person instruction.
The district brought back its youngest learners to the classroom just last week under new state guidelines that prioritize the reopening of schools for elementary school students. Meanwhile, teacher unions in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools are raising the alarm about reopening plans they say are inadequate. Both districts are set to welcome pre-K through second grade students back to buildings in February, starting with St. Paul Public Schools on Monday. Minnesota’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remained mostly steady in the latest state data. Active, known COVID-19 case counts ticked up above 10,000 for the first time in several days, but the trend line continues to angle down. Active counts remain far lower than in late November when they hovered around 50,000.
The newest numbers come a day after Gov. Tim Walz expressed hope that most Minnesotans who are not in a priority group for a COVID-19 vaccine dose could be vaccinated in March or April.
You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Nina Moini | MPR News | 
