Health
The daily coronavirus update: four more deaths; Walz touts data dashboard, responds to Trump’s 3M edict
As of Friday, 789 people in Minnesota have tested positive for coronavirus, up from 742 on Thursday.
COVID-19
Health
‘This is about fighting a war’: former Medicare administrator Andy Slavitt on what to expect in the months to come
Slavitt, the former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, was part of the team that fixed Healthcare.gov after its botched rollout.
State Government
The saga of the $500 checks illustrates the unusual way the Minnesota Legislature put together its big COVID-19 response bill
Having just a few hours to look through a measure that appropriated $330 million for emergency responses to COVID-19, most of the elected members of the Legislature weren’t sure exactly what was in it.
Education
Amid COVID-19 uncertainties, Minnesota colleges are trying to hang on to prospective students
Admissions officials at Minnesota’s colleges and universities are hoping that all the ways that they’ve adapted in the wake of the pandemic will offer prospective students reassurance — and keep schools’ enrollments on track.
Health
A simple guide to safe social distancing when getting some exercise
The crowds on some trails last weekend were packed so tightly they got the Gov. Tim Walz’s attention.
Second Opinion
Right now is an especially good time to quit smoking
The Minnesota Department of Health launched a group of free programs this week to help state residents quit nicotine.
Health
The daily coronavirus update: Health plans waive some COVID-19-related costs; MDH to release info on group-living facilities with cases
One more Minnesotan has died of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday, for a total of 18. The number of confirmed cases in the state rose by 53 to 742.
Community Voices
‘There’s nobody in America that’s prepared.’ Why?
Our health care system and private-sector manufacturing capacity proved woefully unprepared to respond to a pandemic.
National
Rep. Dean Phillips authored a measure to oversee spending under the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package. Trump has pledged to sidestep it.
Trump said the office’s reports must be filtered through the White House before being released to Congress.
Greater Minnesota
Getting by: How businesses in one Greater Minnesota town are dealing with ‘social distancing’ disruptions
“It’s a really tough time right now because of the uncertainty,” said Judy Hulterstrum, executive director of the Litchfield Area Chamber of Commerce, “but we’re staying as positive as we can.”
State Government
The Minnesota House successfully held its first committee meeting via conference call. The meeting’s closed-captioning was less successful.
The gathering of the committee Wednesday was noteworthy, less for its agenda than for its format — and for a technical glitch that made for some interesting reading.
From Other Nonprofit Media
Temperature check: Tips for tracking a key symptom of coronavirus contagion
A specific temperature is only one of many indications of a fever. People will also have alternating chills and sweats, and body aches.
Health
The daily coronavirus update: five more deaths; problems with testing supply chain persist
Gov. Tim Walz also announced today he will give the State of the State address Sunday at 7 p.m., broadcast by remote camera at the governor’s residence.
Second Opinion
CDC report: People with diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions at greatest risk of developing severe COVID-19
Patients with an underlying health issue were more likely than the others in the study to require hospitalization and intensive care for COVID-19.
State Government
Coalition of Minnesota landlords, tenant advocates push for rental assistance
The effort to create a $100 million fund to help lower-income Minnesotans pay rent has brought together people who don’t always agree: those who own and manage rental housing and those who advocate for tenants.
