Good morning and welcome to Tuesday! Starting tomorrow, wearing a mask will be required in indoor businesses and places in Rochester. A similar rule also takes effect in Mankato this Friday. More COVID-19 news after the weather.

Sunny, a bit cooler Tuesday; spotty rain, storms possible. We are taking a break from the 90-plus-degree heat today. Mostly sunny Tuesday with highs in the 80s across Minnesota. There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the central and southern parts of the state.

Don’t forget to wear a mask if you’re in public spaces in Rochester, Mankato.The two cities joined a handful of other Minnesota cities, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, to impose citywide mask mandates for public places. Rochester’s ordinance, which goes into effect Wednesday, applies to places like indoor restaurant and bar seating, gyms, public transportation and retail businesses. Mankato’s rule lists places such as retail stores, service establishments and city government buildings.

No, wearing a mask doesn’t cause hypoxia or asthma. As wearing a mask or not has become a topic of fierce debate in the U.S., many are wondering if a mask can cause any harm to the ability to breathe, and if wearing one helps stop spreading the virus. We received some questions about face masks from our readers and here are answers to those questions. 

So masks help prevent droplets from transmitting to others. Does the virus spread through the air at all? Scientists want to know more. More than 200 researchers signed a letter to the WHO, calling for attention and guidance around “aerosols,” tiny respiratory particles that float in the air. They could be responsible for infecting someone who comes along and breathes them in.

Here are the latest coronavirus  statistics in Minnesota

• 38,569 cases confirmed (434 new) via 679,693 tests

• 1,474 deaths (three new)

• 4,219 cases requiring hospitalization

• 258 people remain hospitalized; 125 in intensive care

• 33,907 patients no longer needing isolation

Valerie Castile: Change in driver's manual makes traffic stops safer when motorists carry guns Motorists and police will have new guidance that may help avoid deadly shootings like the one that killed Philando Castile four years ago Monday. 

—  Jiwon Choi, MPR News | @ChoiGEE1