Category: State Issues

Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: April 24, 2020

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April 24, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 4:00 PM on 4/24/2020.

Updates from the Governor

As part of the state’s effort to provide widespread, rapid COVID-19 testing, Governor Tim Walz today unveiled a new website to help Minnesotans find a testing location within their community.

This testing collaborative now includes 127 clinics and health care facilities across the state. The new COVID-19 website provides easy access to Minnesotans’ closest testing site, offers general information related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and provides an interactive screening tool to help Minnesotans determine if they need a test.

“Access to COVID-19 testing is critical to moving Minnesota forward during this pandemic,” Governor Walz said. “This tool will help make our widespread testing initiative accessible to all Minnesotans, and it’s a direct result of our partnership with the cutting-edge health care sector in Minnesota.”

Today, the Department of Employment and Economic Development began sending assistance to self-employed people and independent contractors under the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. Minnesota is one of the first states in the country to implement the entire CARES Act, and the launch of the PUA program is a milestone in support of Minnesotans during this pandemic.

Education Update

Today, Governor Walz, Lt. Governor Flanagan, and Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker shared more details on Minnesota’s distance learning plan through the end of the school year. They addressed ways the state is working to expand technology for students, provide guidance for teachers on how best to connect with students, and support families through this difficult time.

Final Day of Mask Drive

The Governor and Lt. Governor encourage Minnesotans to participate in their homemade mask drive by making homemade masks for donation to congregate care facilities. Tomorrow, Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Minnesotans can deliver homemade masks to their local fire department. Fire departments will then deliver the masks to local congregate living facilities for their employees and residents to wear. Find other ways you can make a difference in your community here.

Everyone can work to reduce the spread of COVID-19

  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or sleeve, or a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands afterwards.
  • Washing your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom or before eating. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your face – especially your eyes, nose and mouth – with unwashed hands.
  • Stay home if you have cold- or flu-like symptoms, for seven days after your illness onset and three days after your fever resolves without fever reducing medicine (whichever is longer), and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Up-to-date guidance from the Department of Health on recommended community mitigation strategies can be found here.

Resources

Coverage

Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: April 24, 2020

w

April 24, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 4:00 PM on 4/24/2020.

Updates from the Governor

As part of the state’s effort to provide widespread, rapid COVID-19 testing, Governor Tim Walz today unveiled a new website to help Minnesotans find a testing location within their community.

This testing collaborative now includes 127 clinics and health care facilities across the state. The new COVID-19 website provides easy access to Minnesotans’ closest testing site, offers general information related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and provides an interactive screening tool to help Minnesotans determine if they need a test.

“Access to COVID-19 testing is critical to moving Minnesota forward during this pandemic,” Governor Walz said. “This tool will help make our widespread testing initiative accessible to all Minnesotans, and it’s a direct result of our partnership with the cutting-edge health care sector in Minnesota.” Continue reading “Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: April 24, 2020”

Senate DFL Week in Review: April 24, 2020

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Secure elections during COVID-19
and everything happening in the Legislature this week.
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We must keep our elections secure

The Senate DFL Caucus held a virtual press conference this week to highlight the need to protect the integrity of Minnesota’s elections and the safety of Minnesota’s voters. Read more >>

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Minnesota soon could have highest COVID-19 testing capacity in nation

This week, state leaders announced a partnership between two entities that have been developing tests – Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota – that will provide testing capacity to health systems across the state. Read more >>

 Continue reading “Senate DFL Week in Review: April 24, 2020”

House HHS Finance Division receives overview of COVID-19 testing breakthrough

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Finance Division held an informational hearing to discuss Minnesota’s breakthrough strategy to drastically increase COVID-19 testing capacity. The plan allows for up to 20,000 tests daily, and the increased capacity will help health officials control the pandemic and support the safe re-opening of Minnesota’s economy.

“This strategy will help our state address the pandemic and move toward normalcy,” said Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL – Rochester), the division chair. “We need to understand the spread of the virus and how it is progressing so we can effectively isolate those afflicted by COVID-19. This will be possible only by increasing our testing capacity.”

The testing strategy, funded in part by $36 million from the COVID-19 Minnesota Fund provided by the Legislature, is being developed in partnership with Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota, and other health care providers in the state. It aims to test all symptomatic people, expand our understanding of how the virus is affecting our population, and effectively fight the disease.

Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Health Protection Bureau presented information about the strategy to the committee. Dr. Bobbi Pritt, co-director of Vector-borne Diseases Laboratory Services at Mayo Clinic, and Dr. Anthony Killeen, Professor and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Dept. of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, also answered questions for the committee.

Video of the hearing will be available on Minnesota House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.

Minnesota DFL Party Moves State Convention Online

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA- Today, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party announced that the Party’s State Convention will, for the first time in the 76 year history of the party, no longer be held in-person. The convention will instead be moved online and conducted via a remote balloting system.

The Minnesota DFL Party’s State Convention was originally scheduled for May 30-31 in Rochester.

Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota DFL Party, released the following statement:

“Today, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s Executive Committee made the difficult decision to move the DFL Party’s State Convention online due to the ongoing threat posed by COVID-19. Continue reading “Minnesota DFL Party Moves State Convention Online”

Statement from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on allowing certain

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA— Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on Governor Walz’s announcement that certain non-critical businesses can reopen:

“Minnesotans’ work ethic is unparalleled across the country — we are a hard-working and productive state. Minnesotans care about one another’s health and we share a commitment to taking action to lessen the risk posed by COVID-19,” said Speaker Hortman. “The steps Governor Walz outlined today for office, industrial, and manufacturing workplaces are a welcome signal that together we have made progress slowing the spread of this disease, and that we are learning the steps we must take to keep each other safe moving forward. I appreciate that Governor Walz and his team are continuing to follow the science and are putting Minnesotans’ health and safety first. Our foremost concern continues to be ensuring that we can protect our health care system from being overwhelmed, and that we can protect health care workers who are risking their lives to treat Minnesotans.”

“Minnesotans need as much economic security as we can provide during this public health crisis, and those least likely to have it are being hardest hit,” said Majority Leader Winkler. “House DFLers are working to ensure the health and economic well-being of Minnesotans now and into the future.”

 

Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: April 23, 2020

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April 23, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 4:00 PM on 4/23/2020.

Updates from the Governor

A day after announcing a statewide strategy for COVID-19 testing, Governor Tim Walz today outlined next steps for Minnesota’s response to the pandemic. The Governor extended distance learning through the end of the school year and announced a plan for up to 100,000 workers to safely return to their jobs.

Governor Walz announced that distance learning will continue through the rest of the 2019-2020 school calendar year, explaining how the state will continue to pursue opportunities to expand technology for students, provide guidance for educators on how to best connect with students, and support families.

“As a former teacher, this is a heartbreaking decision,” Governor Walz said. “I am sorry for all of our students who will miss out on graduations, tournaments, and end of year celebrations. While I recognize distance learning is a challenge for many families, it is critical to social distancing in Minnesota and supports the health of Minnesota’s families. We will continue looking for ways to improve the current system and better support our children.” Continue reading “Gov. Walz COVID-19 Update: April 23, 2020”

State governments face financial abyss with coronavirus

The Hill logoState governments are staring at budget shortfalls that will substantially exceed what they faced during the great recession, even before the full scope of the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic is known.

Budget analysts, governors and legislative leaders around the country are already holding regular meetings to assess the damage, watching in real time as their revenue estimates fall short of worst-case scenarios mapped for a recession.

In increasingly urgent pleas to Congress, states have asked for $300 billion to $1 trillion to bail them out, and that may not even be enough to replace their lost revenue. Continue reading.

Twin Cities tattoo artists leery of push to reopen shops

They miss their coworkers and clients. They miss going to the shop. They definitely miss having a source of income.

But Bosak, who most recently worked at Tailorbird Tattoo in Nokomis, thinks that as we’re staying socially distant to try and flatten that COVID-19 curve, the safest thing for them and those they tattoo is to keep the guns away for now.

“I’m grateful for my clients and the connections I’ve formed with them,” Bosak says. “I care about them. I’m willing to undergo hard times to keep them safe.” Continue reading.

Extended distance learning increases need to guarantee pay for frontline school employees,

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements on Governor Walz’s announcement that distance learning will be extended through the end of the school year:

“Minnesota’s schoolchildren miss their teachers and they miss their friends. This pandemic has changed so much for so many of us — including what it means to go to school and how we deliver an education,” said Speaker Hortman. “Governor Walz’s decision to continue distance learning until the end of the school year is the right call. This decision highlights the need for the Minnesota Legislature to pass legislation immediately to ensure all school employees continue to get paid through the end of the school year. Our teachers and hourly school employees have never been more important to our children and families. They deserve economic security and our support — especially during these difficult times.” Continue reading “Extended distance learning increases need to guarantee pay for frontline school employees,”