Walz lauds drop in long-term care COVID-19 deaths

A lovely Wednesday: Dry + sunny + pleasantly warm. If you have some spare time during the day tomorrow, make sure you go out and enjoy the picture-perfect summer day! Wednesday will be sunny with highs in the 70s across Minnesota. But for tonight, keep an eye on the radar as eastern Minnesota could be in for some scattered thunderstorms.

What’s in the police reform package passed last night? The legislation aims to change the culture and oversight of policing in Minnesota, in the wake of the May 25 killing of George Floyd. Here are some of the bill’s major provisions:

Outlawing warrior training that dehumanizes people/encourages aggressive conduct.

More required reporting around use-of-force incidents.

Training for peace officers for dealing with people in a mental health crisis.

More Minnesota cities require masks: St. Cloud, Bemidji, Roseville and Shoreview. The cities passed their mask mandates Monday. St. Cloud and Bemidji’s ordinances immediately took effect; Shoreview’s and Roseville’s will go into effect next Monday, July 27.

Wondering where in Minnesota masks are required? Check out this map to see cities and other public places across the state where masks are mandatory.

COVID-19’s toll on long-term care facilities mitigated, largely thanks to the state’s “battle plan,” says Walz. In early May, there were 23 long-term care facilities reporting new cases each day in Minnesota, and it’s now about six per day. Gov. Tim Walz said today that the state’s efforts to curb the virus’ spread at those facilities, including restrictions on visitors and widespread testing, have been paying off with dramatic drops in the number of deaths and new cases the past two months.

— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | @ChoiGEE1