Good morning, The storm that brought rain and falling temperatures Monday brings a second punch to Minnesota Tuesday with areas of heavy snow and ice concerns. More on Updraft
Gov. Tim Walz to announce next steps in Minnesota's COVID-19 response this afternoon, as cases continue to surge across the state. On Sunday, Minnesota hit a high-water mark of nearly 6,000 new daily cases, and hospitalizations and deaths have been marching upward, as well. The governor hinted yesterday that he would lean toward targeted restrictions rather than the sweeping measures he enacted this spring. Hospitality businesses, such as bars and restaurants, are on edge about possible new limits. Other states have imposed a 10 p.m. curfew on bars to stem the spread among younger people. Walz's remarks are set to broadcast live on MPR News and on our Facebook Page live at 2 p.m. The disease’s rampant spread is being fueled by informal gatherings and get-togethers with family and friends, transmitted unknowingly by people who have the virus but do not have symptoms, officials say. The question now: Can it be slowed?
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics :
- 2,656 deaths (19 new deaths)
- 180,862 positive cases (3,930 new cases), 146,311 off isolation
- 3.1 million tests, 2 million people tested
On Monday, Minnesota reported 3,930 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.Is that bad? Is it OK? How should we interpret those numbers? Figuring it out can be difficult. Data reporter David H. Montgomery shares how he puts COVID-19 figures in context — by making a rough translation into personal risk.
Minnesota is adding more than a dozen new COVID-19 testing locations over the next couple of weeks, including 10 in armories around the state and several locations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
On Monday, the state opened a saliva testing site at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Similar testing is already available free of charge at sites in St. Paul, Mankato, Winona, Brooklyn Park, Moorhead, Duluth and St. Cloud.
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the saliva test is as effective as ones that use nasal swabs.
"There's more than one type of saliva test. This one was I believe the first that got FDA emergency use authorization and the reliability is very high,” Malcolm said.
And Minnesota lawmakers are coming back into special session on Thursday to decide if Gov. Tim Walz will maintain his emergency powers to manage the coronavirus response.
Walz called the special session in a proclamation Monday because he is again extending the executive order tied to COVID-19 measures his administration has taken. That will remain in place for an additional 30 days unless both the House and Senate vote to unwind the authority. That’s unlikely given that the Legislature is under split-party control.
🎧 Tune in and stay informed.Here's what's coming up on MPR News today.
-- Matt Mikus, MPR News (@mikusmatt) | 
