Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm responded Thursday to concerns about the accuracy of the number of deaths caused by COVID-19.
Read the full storyCommissioner Malcolm Responds to Concerns About Reporting of COVID-19 Deaths
Tag: Minnesota
Republicans Call Extension of Minnesota Stay at Home Order ‘Seriously Disappointing’
Some Republican lawmakers were disappointed in Gov. Tim Walz after he announced Wednesday that his stay-at-home order will be extended until May 4.
Read the full storyMinnesota Unemployment Claims Up to 385,000
Minnesota has seen 385,318 new applications for unemployment insurance since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said Thursday.
Read the full storyDoctors Can Place COVID-19 on Death Certificates Without Confirmed Test Results, Minnesota Senator Says
State Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Chaska), a practicing physician, has sounded the alarm about a CDC guidance that gives doctors the authority to include “suspected or likely” cases of COVID-19 on death certificates.
Read the full storyDFL Leader Apologizes for Flipping Off Republican Colleagues
Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) apologized Tuesday after a video showed him flipping off his Republican colleagues.
Read the full story3D Printing Presents Possible Solution to Personal Protective Equipment Shortage
Mayo Clinic announced last week that it is exploring the possibility of 3D printing face masks and other personal protective equipment items to employ in the national fight against COVID-19.
The famous clinic said its 3D Anatomic Modeling Laboratories across the country as well as its Division of Engineering are working together to “reverse-engineer, 3D-print and machine solutions for patient care.”
Read the full storySenate Candidate Jason Lewis: ‘China Is Responsible for This Pandemic’
Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis placed the blame for the coronavirus pandemic squarely on China’s shoulders in a new commercial released Monday.
Read the full storyWalz Launches ‘Bias and Discrimination’ Helpline for Reporting Incidents to the State
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that his office has created a “discrimination helpline” amid “rising reports of discrimination from the Asian American community.”
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan claimed that America has a “distinct pattern” of “increased discrimination during uncertain and trying times, of needing someone to blame.”
“This is unacceptable and, as Minnesotans, we must work to break this cycle,” she added.
Read the full storyWorld Health Organization: Abortion Is ‘Essential’ During Coronavirus Pandemic
Abortion is considered an essential service during the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization said in a statement Saturday.
The WHO said in its statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation that “services related to reproductive health are considered to be part of essential services during the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Read the full storyIllegal Immigrants Eligible for Minneapolis’ Coronavirus Relief Funds
Minneapolis will provide financial relief to residents “irrespective of immigration or documentation status,” the city announced Friday.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Refuses to Take Down ‘Communist’ Hotline for Reporting Stay at Home Violations
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has rejected requests from Republican lawmakers to suspend a “communist” hotline that allows residents to report violations of the governor’s stay-at-home order.
Read the full storyTrump Clashes with 3M After Accusations That Foreign Countries Are Getting Face Masks First
President Donald Trump warned 3M on Twitter Thursday night that it will “have a big price to pay” after the company was accused of various wrongdoings surrounding its production of N95 respirator masks.
Read the full storyMinnesota Secretary of State Says Statewide Vote by Mail Possible for 2020 Election
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said his office is exploring a number of “pandemic election options,” including conducting the entire presidential election by mail-in ballots.
“The current public health crisis has been a serious test for all Minnesotans. It has also been a test for our democracy. I’ve heard from many Minnesotans who wonder how, or even if, we will vote in this high-stakes election year,” Simon said in a statement released last week.
Read the full storyMinnesota Health Officials Will Release Info on Nursing Homes with Coronavirus After Facing Criticism
State Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) said the Minnesota Department of Health’s decision to withhold information about the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on nursing homes “only brings unnecessary grief and frustration to many Minnesota families.”
Read the full storyFox News Poll Shows Biden/Klobuchar Ticket Beating Trump
A new Fox News poll predicts that voters would support a Joe Biden/Amy Klobuchar ticket over reelecting President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
The poll was conducted between March 21 and 24 and shows Biden beating President Trump by nine percentage points in November. Since Biden promised to pick a female running mate, the poll examined his odds with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) as vice president.
Read the full storyTreatment for Cancer Patients Delayed But Abortions Allowed to Continue in Minnesota
House Republican leaders sent a letter Friday to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asking him to clarify the status of surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyTrump Campaign Digitized Entire Operation in 24 Hours, Contacted 100,000 Minnesota Voters Virtually
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign digitized its entire field operation within 24 hours after staffers were forced to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, sources told The Minnesota Sun.
Read the full storyMinnesota Group Wants Unemployment Insurance for Illegal Immigrants
A progressive group in Minnesota wants state and national lawmakers to pass a “stronger unemployment insurance package” that includes benefits for illegal immigrants.
TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive community organizing group, released a list of policy proposals that it would like to see included in any stimulus package passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Wages War on Price Gouging During Coronavirus Pandemic: ‘My Office and I Are Coming After You’
Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office received more than 500 complaints about price gouging in Minnesota last week alone.
The influx of complaints is part of Ellison’s effort to stop companies from hiking their prices on essential products during the coronavirus pandemic. Doing so is now illegal under an executive order issued by Gov. Tim Walz, which will remain in effect for the duration of Minnesota’s peacetime emergency.
Ellison’s office announced a statewide crackdown on businesses engaged in “pandemic profiteering” last week and encouraged Minnesotans to report instances of price gouging to his office.
Read the full storyRepublican Lawmakers Blast Minnesota’s Coronavirus Omnibus Bill: ‘Zero Transparency’
The Minnesota Legislature passed a $330 million omnibus bill this week to address the coronavirus pandemic, but some Republican lawmakers were frustrated with the unprecedented lack of transparency in the process.
Read the full storyKlobuchar Says Husband Is Recovering from Coronavirus, Slams Trump for Response
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said her husband is now recovering from home after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Read the full storyOmar and Bernie Ask Bezos for Answers About Amazon’s Efforts to Slow COVID-19 Spread
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) sent a letter Friday to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking for “detailed information” about his plans to protect warehouse workers from the coronavirus.
Read the full storyShelter in Place Order Now in Effect in Minnesota: Here’s What You Need to Know
Gov. Tim Walz has issued a statewide shelter-in-place order for Minnesota to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The order took effect Friday at midnight and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10. As opposed to a complete lockdown, a shelter-in-place order still allows for many everyday activities and permits numerous industries to continuing working.
Read the full storyStar Tribune Was Refusing to Run Ad Warning of Economic Consequences of Walz’s Coronavirus Response
The Star Tribune initially refused to run an advertisement in its print edition that was critical of Gov. Tim Walz’s “severe reactions” to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyMinnesota Had 116,000 New Unemployment Claims Last Week
Minnesota has seen 182,000 workers apply for unemployment insurance since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said Thursday.
Read the full storyMyPillow Now Manufacturing Face Masks to Help With COVID-19 Response
MyPillow announced Tuesday that it is now manufacturing face masks for hospitals across the country to help alleviate the national shortage of N95 respirator masks.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Issues Shelter in Place Order for Minnesota
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced during his Wednesday press briefing that he is issuing a statewide shelter-in-place order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The stay-at-home order, as the governor is calling it, will go into effect at midnight Friday and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 10.
“What our objective is now is to move the infection rate or slow it down and buy time,” Walz said during the press conference. The governor noted that the order won’t necessarily reduce the infection rate, but will postpone the peak of the outbreak while the state prepares.
Read the full storyWalz Predicts 40 to 80 Percent of Minnesotans Will Be Infected
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a Monday press briefing that he predicts 40 to 80 percent of the state’s population will be infected with the coronavirus.
Read the full storyDoctor in Minnesota Senate Warns That Reaction to Coronavirus Could Be More Dangerous Than Virus Itself
A doctor in the Minnesota Senate warned leaders Monday that the reaction to the coronavirus pandemic could be more harmful than the virus itself.
Sen. Scott Jensen (R-Chaska), a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and founder of Catalyst Medical Clinic, said that the disruption to everyday routines could have devastating consequences for people with underlying medical conditions.
“Scaring people to death isn’t helping us. We are going to in short order, if not already now, have supply chains get interrupted and some of these are critical supply chains. We need to be careful,” Jensen said in a video posted to Facebook.
Read the full storyGov. Walz Self-Quarantines After Contact with COVID-19 Patient
Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday morning that he is in self-quarantine at the Governor’s Residence after contacting someone with the coronavirus. “After learning I had contact with someone who has COVID-19, I plan to lead by example and work from home. I currently have no symptoms and will continue working tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19,” Walz said on Twitter. After learning I had contact with someone who has COVID-19, I plan to lead by example and work from home. I currently have no symptoms and will continue working tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19. #StayHomeMN — Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) March 23, 2020 He later revealed that a member of his “dedicated” security detail tested positive for COVID-19 late Sunday night. “He did everything exactly right. I had been with him a few days prior, so according to the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health regulations, I am self-quarantined with my family here. We are operating everything as normal,” the governor said in a video message later in the day. This isn’t a typical Monday morning but we’re still hard at work to combat the #COVIDー19 crisis. Minnesotans have been through long winters before, we’ll get…
Read the full storyKlobuchar’s Husband Hospitalized After Testing Positive for COVID-19
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday that her husband (pictured right) has been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Klobuchar said her family received the test results early Monday morning and said her husband, John, is currently “cut off from all visitors.”
He started to feel sick when the senator was in Minnesota and he was in Washington, D.C. for his teaching job. According to Klobuchar, her husband was “checked into a hospital in Virginia” after he “started coughing up blood.”
Read the full storyMayo Clinic Says It Can Now Perform Up to 4,000 COVID-19 Tests Daily
Mayo Clinic announced last week that it can now test up to 4,000 clinical samples for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on a daily basis.
Mayo officials said they now have the capacity to process COVID-19 test samples at all Mayo Clinic sites and have started processing test samples from their clients across the state, including eight major health systems.
Read the full storySenate Leaders Signal Disagreement with Walz’s ‘Unilateral and Unchecked’ Coronavirus Actions
Gov. Tim Walz has issued 12 executive orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but Senate Republicans think some of his actions aren’t within his constitutional authority.
Read the full story2.9 Percent of Minnesotans Tested for COVID-19 Have Tested Positive
An average of 2.9 percent of Minnesotans who have been tested for COVID-19 ended up testing positive, according to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Read the full storyShelter in Place Order Possible for Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz said Friday morning that a statewide “shelter in place” order is possible after Minnesota saw its number of confirmed COVID-19 cases soar past 100.
“Well, I certainly think it is a possibility,” the governor said during an interview with WCCO Radio. “We have to have every tool in the toolbox.”
Read the full storyMinnesota House Confirms COVID-19 Case, Governor Walz Cancels State of State
State lawmakers said Wednesday that an employee of the Minnesota House of Representatives has tested positive for COVID-19.
Read the full storyIlhan Omar Defends Dispersing Campaign Funds to Husband’s Consulting Firm
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) took to Twitter this week to “clear the air” regarding her marriage to Tim Mynett, a political consultant whose firm has received close to $600,000 from his wife’s campaign committee.
Read the full storyACLU Asks Minnesota Government to ‘Limit Arrests to Most Serious Offenses’ During COVID-19 Pandemic
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota has asked the state government to “aggressively” limit arrests to “the most serious offenses” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the full storyMinnesota Limits Testing Because of ‘National Shortage’ of COVID-19 Testing Materials
The Minnesota Department of Health said Tuesday that it is tightening its “testing criteria” for the coronavirus because of a “national shortage of COVID-19 laboratory testing materials.”
Read the full storyMinnesota Lawmakers Call Walz’s Order Closing Private Businesses ‘An Overreach That Will Be Devastating’
Republican lawmakers said they appreciate Gov. Tim Walz’s leadership in responding to the coronavirus outbreak, but think his executive order closing most private businesses is “an overreach that will be devastating.”
Read the full storyMinnesota Legislature Will Meet on As Needed Basis for Next 30 Days, Bars and Restaurants Ordered Shut
The Minnesota Legislature will be meeting on an “on-call” basis for the next 30 days, leaders announced Monday morning.
During that time, much of their legislative work will focus on responding to the coronavirus outbreak, which reached 54 confirmed cases in the state as of Monday afternoon.
“Over the next few weeks, the Minnesota Legislature will continue to work, but by alternative means. We expect to operate efficiently and safely to aid Minnesotans with COVID-19 preparedness and response, and to continue our work to address other pressing needs of the state,” leaders of both the House and Senate said in a joint statement.
Read the full storyGovernor Walz Orders Closure of All Public Schools, Confirmed Cases Jumps to 35
Gov. Tim Walz ordered the temporary closure of all K-12 public schools in Minnesota Sunday in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Under the executive order, all schools will be closed to students by Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 27 to accommodate teachers and administrators as they devise a long-term plan for responding to the virus.
Read the full storyGovernor Walz Declares Peacetime Emergency, COVID-19 Spreads to Rural Counties
Health officials identified seven new cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota Saturday morning, including the first case in a rural county.
Read the full storyBill Seeks to Close Minnesota’s ‘Gender Wage Gap’ by Banning Employers from Asking About Pay History
A DFL bill seeks to close Minnesota’s “gender wage gap” by prohibiting employers from asking about an applicant’s past pay.
Read the full storyRepublicans Ask for Ethics Investigation of Kurt Daudt for Accepting Position with Lobbying Firm
Members of Minnesota’s New House Republican Caucus called for an ethics investigation into House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) in a Thursday letter.
Read the full storyAfter Denying Relationship, Ilhan Omar Announces Marriage to Political Consultant
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) announced Wednesday night that she has married Tim Mynett, a political consultant who has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Omar’s campaign committee.
Read the full storyTina Smith Accuses Trump Administration of Spreading ‘Flat-Out Misinformation’ on Coronavirus
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) accused President Donald Trump and his administration of spreading “misinformation” about the coronavirus in a recent interview.
The Minnesota senator said the Trump administration “didn’t move quickly on developing” a test for the virus.
Read the full storyMinnesota Republicans Introduce Bill to Strip Funding from Libraries That Host ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’
A bill introduced Monday in the Minnesota House would pull public funding from libraries that host “drag queen story hour” performances for children.
Read the full storyTina Smith Endorses Joe Biden, Calls Trump ‘Chaotic and Self-Serving’
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Read the full storyUniversity of Minnesota Museum Won’t Charge Native American Visitors Because Building Is ‘on Dakota Land’
A University of Minnesota museum announced last week that it will no longer charge Native American visitors an admission fee since the museum “sits on the traditional and treaty land of the Dakota people.”
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