Contact tracing is still lagging behind in Minnesota

From winter to almost summer — in a week! You can expect anything from frosty, wintry days to almost-summer weather this week in Minnesota. Temps will dip into the lower 20s and lower 30s overnight, but it’ll get much warmer tomorrow, with abundant sunshine and highs near the 60s in southern Minnesota and the 50s in northern parts of the state.

COVID-19 in Minnesota today: ‘You can and should get tested if you have symptoms.’ While the state has approached 5,000 daily tests completed, it still hasn’t reached it - largely due to the initial messaging, state Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says. She said people who are experiencing symptoms "can and should be getting tested” and that the state has the capacity for that. Minnesota’s total number of confirmed cases rose to 11,799 and the death toll now nears 600 as of Monday.

From stay-home order to new budget plans, Walz, lawmakers face big decisions in the final week of this legislative session. The Legislature is supposed to wrap up next week, but the coronavirus pandemic is sure to bring lawmakers back into a special session. Gov. Tim Walz also faces several decisions this week on his stay-at-home orders — currently set to expire in a week.

Despite COVID-19 cases, employees at Amazon’s Eagan warehouse say the company threatens ill workers with penalties if they call in sick. Workers at the warehouse say they are terrified to report to work after six co-workers recently tested positive for COVID-19. Amazon provides masks, but the workers said hand sanitizers are often empty and it’s hard to maintain proper social distancing at the facility. They believe their jobs are at risk if they decide to stay at home.

Minnesota buses on their way to Congress — to demand federal aid to help the industry. The almost four dozen Minnesota bus companies run a total of nearly 400 coach buses but they’ve been idled for weeks by the COVID-19 outbreak. They’re joining hundreds of others in Washington this week to ask for similar federal help to that received by airlines and railroads.

— Jiwon Choi and Sara Porter, MPR News