Daily Digest for May 7, 2020

Posted at 6:35 a.m. by Cody Nelson

A state Senate staff member has tested positive for the coronavirus. And that means the senators and fellow staffers who may have been in contact with this person are on self-quarantine. Brian Bakst reports: “It’s not clear how many staff members or lawmakers are being instructed to stay away from the Capitol and for how long. A Senate Republican spokesperson said she did not have that information Wednesday."

The news comes as the Legislature moves into its busiest period ahead of session adjournment on May 18. More from Brian: "Many lawmakers and legislative aides have been working remotely since March as a precaution, but some have had to come to the Capitol to help develop and pass bills. ... The Capitol has been undergoing additional cleaning, lawmakers have been spread out during sessions and other social distance measures have been in place for several weeks."

The Minnesota Health Department says other states aren't accurately reporting COVID-19 deaths. Via Minnpost : "Kris Ehresmann, MDH infectious disease director, said Minnesota has placed a heavier emphasis on testing people in long-term care settings, who are often elderly and at higher risk of dying from COVID-19 than younger and healthier people. Minnesota is then more likely to accurately identify when people die from coronavirus compared to states that test fewer people in long-term care and may not be able to confirm an older person died of COVID-19 rather than the flu or a similar illness. 'I do think that because we are focusing on our most vulnerable populations we aren’t missing as many deaths as could be the case in other parts of the country,' Ehresmann said."

On second thought, President Trump says the coronavirus task force is not dismantling. Rather, it's just refocusing. The AP reports: "One day after saying that the COVID-19 task force would be winding down , President Trump said Wednesday that it would continue indefinitely, but focus more on rebooting the economy. ... Trump's reversal comes as deaths and infections rates outside of New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus, are rising even as states move to lift their lockdowns. A White House official acknowledged Wednesday morning that signaling that the task force was preparing to shut down sent the wrong message and created a media maelstrom. "

Workers don't want to go back to the job if it puts their health at risk; employers don't want to get sued. NPR reports on another facet of how tough it'll be to reopen the economy: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says liability protection for employers must be included in the next round of pandemic relief legislation. 'If there's any red line, it's on litigation,' McConnell said Tuesday. 'The litigation epidemic has already begun .' ... Worker rights' advocates say shielding employers from liability is unnecessary and could actually backfire. 'If the laws simply give immunity to corporations, there will be absolutely no incentives to ensure that they create a safe work environment,' said Remington A. Gregg, a lawyer with the watchdog group Public Citizen. Granting legal immunity, he says, will 'sabotage the effort to get workers and consumers back. If people don't trust that stores, offices and workplaces are safe, they will refuse to return.'"