May 21, 2020

Clouds, rain, thunderstorms this Memorial Day weekend. Good news? All-day rain or storms are unlikely and temps will stay warm until Saturday. Showers and storms will move across western Minnesota late Thursday and will become more scattered throughout the state on Friday. Highs tomorrow will be in the upper 60s to the mid-70s.

COVID-19 in Minnesota today: 809 deaths, 18,200 confirmed cases. As of Thursday, 566 people remain hospitalized with COVID-19 while 229 are in intensive care. Catholic Church leaders say they will resume Masses next Tuesday, which goes against Gov. Tim Walz’s restrictions on large gatherings. Walz and DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said more restrictions on daily life will be loosened at later dates, including large indoor religious gatherings.

Study: 36,000 lives in the U.S. could have been saved if social distancing had been in place a week earlier.. A new analysis finds social distancing has been very effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19 — and that thousands of lives could have been saved if the policies began earlier. The U.S. currently has more than 1.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and more than 93,000 people have died from the disease.

Individual rooms, better staffing, improved inspection: What could we, and should we, do to better protect the vulnerable in nursing homes? The pandemic exposed the weaknesses of the nursing home system; facilities were short on PPE; tales abounded of staff wearing rain ponchos and goggles from hardware stores. Nursing home experts say priorities need to change, emphasizing quality of life over profits.

Social distancing can be hard, especially if you're an extrovert. As part of a series checking in on how Minnesotans are getting by during the pandemic, we want to know: If you're an extrovert how have you been staying social? Leave a voicemail at 651-228-4820. We might play your message on the air!

— Jiwon Choi and Sara Porter, MPR News

Want to see friends and family, now that COVID-19 restrictions are loosening? Here’s what to consider

Now that Minnesota’s stay at home order has turned into a 'stay safe' order, a lot of people are antsy for some social interaction. Here’s what experts say you should take into consideration when making plans.

Even outside on a trail: 6 feet of distance is necessary
From a distance: How Minnesotans keep in touch

Meatpacking safety recommendations are largely unenforceable

Extensive guidance issued last month by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls for meatpacking companies to erect physical barriers, enforce social distancing and install more hand-sanitizing stations, among other steps. But the guidance is not mandatory.

May 6: Pork processing resumes at JBS plant shut down by pandemic
Outbreaks: Coronavirus cuts 'deep scars' through meatpacking cities
For meat plant workers: Virus makes a hard job perilous

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Pandemic makes evident 'grotesque' gender inequality in household work

COVID-19 has transformed home life — turning kitchen tables into home offices and classrooms and putting a spotlight on the countless household tasks typically performed by women. Brigid Schulte says the pandemic has laid bare the "grotesque inequality" that exists within many families.

Michael Cohen released from prison due to coronavirus concerns

President Trump's former attorney will be placed in home confinement. Thousands of federal inmates have been released to home confinement since March due to concerns about coronavirus exposure.

Getting an antibody test for the coronavirus? Here's what it won't tell you

As more and more people get tested for antibodies to the coronavirus, infectious disease specialists worry that those tested — and their employers — may not understand the limits of the results.

38.6 million have filed for unemployment since March

Another 2.4 million people filed claims for unemployment last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's down 249,000 — or 9 percent — from the previous week, but still painfully high by historical standards.

'I didn't want him to feel alone': A daughter's complicated goodbye to her father

Civil war scattered Mohamed Omer’s family more than 30 years ago. He spent his life trying to unscatter them. Just a few years after finally arriving in Minnesota, on April 29, he died of COVID-19.

Art Hounds: Labor Camp's daily COVID-19 reports

Artist Piotr Szyhalski has been drawing a new work every day responding to news of COVID-19, and how the U.S. government is managing it. Art Hound Camille Gage says she finds the work both disconcerting and inspiring.

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