COVID-19 curve upward again in MN, most of the U.S.

Happy July Fourth eve! Before you heat up your grill and light fireworks, here’s some news updates you should catch up with ahead of the holiday weekend.

Sunny, very hot start to the weekend. If you’re planning to spend some time outside this afternoon, be sure to drink a lot of water and stay in the shade as much as you can. Friday will be mostly sunny with highs in the upper 80s to the lower 90s across the state. The Twin Cities will be under a heat advisory through the afternoon, and northwestern Minnesota may see a few showers and storms move in by the evening.

Hundreds of Oromo people in Minnesota protested over the killing of an Ethiopian musician this week. Here’s what they say about Hachalu Hundessa and why they had to speak out. The influential musician and activist was a “father figure” of the Oromo people, and had written songs about Ethiopia’s Oromo community. The Oromo are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, but have long been subject to cultural repression, arrests, forced disappearances, torture and state killings. After Hundessa was shot and killed in Ethiopia on Monday, Oromo people in Minnesota and across the globe are demanding justice for the singer and the Oromo.

Can’t pay your mortgage because of COVID-19? You may delay your payment for 90 days. A new agreement with 31 Minnesota financial institutions, announced by Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Elison, allows Minnesotans who are affected by the pandemic to delay their mortgage payments for up to 90 days. Check out more details and the list of participating lenders here.

COVID-19 cases rising in 40 of 50 U.S. states; Minnesota is one of them. On the day Minnesota officials reported 500 new confirmed cases, the number of new cases per day in the U.S. climbed to an all-time high of more than 50,000 on Thursday -- and a fifth of that number was from Florida. The infection curve is now upward again in 40 out of 50 states besides the Northeast.

Should and will Minnesota mandate mask-wearing soon? Earlier this week, Gov. Tim Walz said the measure is on the table, but didn’t give specifics on whether and when he’d arrive at a decision. While several states around the country have announced a mask mandate in the wake of recent case upticks, state health officials and medical groups express their support for a similar measure in Minnesota.

Here are the latest coronavirus statistics in Minnesota:

37,210 cases confirmed (500 new) via 630,427 tests

1,458 deaths (13 new)

4,112 cases requiring hospitalization

274 people remain hospitalized; 123 in intensive care

32,163 patients no longer needing isolation

This week, we featured some Minnesotans behind rallies, marches and demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd and racial injustice in the state beyond the Twin Cities metro area.

Below is a gallery of their portraits with excerpts from the series. Click each photo to read/listen more about their experiences with race in Minnesota, why they march and what they hope for the future.