March 20, 2020

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your Friday.

Testing shortages make it tough for health officials to understand COVID-19 spread. In response to a shortage of testing supplies nationwide, Minnesota earlier this week said it would prioritize hospitalized patients, health care workers and those living or working in places like nursing homes and long-term care facilities for COVID-19 testing. The move — and shortage of testing supplies overall — creates immense challenges for public health officials as they work to understand how widespread the virus is in Minnesota — and try to prevent its spread.

Ag commissioner says "Minnesotans should be confident in our food system." The bare shelves at grocery stores may have some worried: Is there enough food? Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen says the answer is yes. “The first thing we want Minnesotans to know is that we have a very safe food supply,” he said. “We're working to keep it affordable and also accessible.”

Coronavirus' economic impact will be felt widely, but unevenly. Minnesota workers will feel a lot of pain and misery from the coronavirus — even if they don’t get sick. “It’s not really a question of which sectors of the economy get battered, “but what sectors are not going to be hurt,” said University of Minnesota economist Timothy Kehoe. “Because most are going to be.” 

At the front of that list is anyone who gets close to people, like dentists or hairdressers. And anyone whose job involves large numbers of people getting together somehow — bartenders or artists, for example. Laura Zabel, executive director of Springboard for the Arts, a nonprofit that supports artists with education and aid, said because artists are typically self-employed or contract workers, many don't qualify for unemployment insurance.

Gazelka warns against unchecked executive orders. The top Republican in the Minnesota Senate is telling Gov. Tim Walz that the Legislature is ready to do its part on matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic. With executive orders from the governor piling up, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said Senate Republicans are ready to come back into session and pass legislation to respond to the health crisis.

-- MPR News staff