Photo by Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News April 30, 2020 Walz will share plan for reopening MN today
Good morning, it's Thursday. Here's your forecast and all the latest on COVID-19 in Minnesota in what could be a big news day.
Sunny and nice. Twin Cities highs near 70 with 5 to 10 mph winds. Statewide, highs from mid-60s to lower 70s. More on Updraft. | Forecast
Gov. Tim Walz will use his afternoon briefing Thursday to outline the next steps for reopening Minnesota. The expected announcement comes just days before his stay-at-home order is set to expire. While we'll have to wait for the governor to get some more answers, there have been signals from him and state officials on what's to come.
Bars, restaurants and other large gathering spots will remain closed or take-out only. As Walz has said all along, these will be among the last businesses to reopen.
Distancing, masks and other safety protocols will continue. “The guidance to stay close to home and to restrict large gatherings, to restrict close contact with anyone outside of your immediate household, those things are going to stand by,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said Wednesday.
Rural areas towns may reopen first. Walz said small-town businesses may be close to getting a green light for conditionally reopening.
More businesses could see relaxed restrictions. However, as safety requirements loosen and testing ramps up, health leaders said Minnesotans should expect to see the COVID-19 outbreak widen, but they expressed confidence that Minnesota’s health care system was prepared to deal with an expected surge of cases and hospitalizations.
320 people remain in the hospital; 119 in intensive care
2,043 patients recovered
A 30-year-old has died from the coronavirus, Minnesota's youngest victim so far. Of those who’ve died, nearly 80 percent were living in long-term care facilities and 99 percent had underlying health problems, according to state officials.
Unemployment claims are beginning to slow ... but some 564,000 Minnesotans have still applied for benefits since mid-March. In addition, 40,000 independent contractors or self-employed people have gotten paid through a state pandemic unemployment program.
Take a look inside how others our living in our strange, trying times. MPR News photojournalists, led by Christine T. Nguyen and Evan Frost, are among the few of us whose work in the field has continued despite the coronavirus pandemic. Their work shows us what the new normal looks like for all kinds of Minnesotans.
Who are the helpers in your life? Life is difficult and overwhelming, more often than normal, right now. We want your help finding the bright spots. Share a story of how someone has helped you or someone you know. — Cody Nelson, MPR News | @codyleenelson
