| Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News
Nov. 24, 2020 Gov. Walz says plan to help bars, eateries is on the way | |
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Good morning. It is a messy morning out there. The Twin Cities may see rain possibly mixed with snow and freezing rain to start the day and highs in the upper 30s For the rest of the state, cloudy skies with a wintry mix becoming mostly rain across the south with highs in the 40s. Find out more from Updraft.
Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday intends to roll out a plan to provide financial help for restaurant and bar owners and workers hurt by the current COVID-19 restrictions.
Walz, who signaled the move on Monday, didn’t put a dollar figure to the cost, but he called the need to aid those businesses and workers “absolutely critical.” He expressed hope of reaching a compromise with GOP lawmakers.
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:
3,265 deaths (24 new)276,500 positive cases (6,353 new), 227,311 off isolation3.8 million tests, 2.3 million people tested (about 41 percent of the population) 12.9 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent concerning) Walz’s remarks came hours after the latest Health Department data showed Minnesota’s COVID-19 surge continuing to grind, with officials reporting 24 more deaths and 6,353 newly confirmed or probable cases. Hospitalizations continued to rise.
Monday’s data held one bit of hopeful news: New cases and the positive test rate continued their trend downward of the last few days, an indication the peak of the current surge may be in sight. Otherwise, current conditions remain severe across the state.
Minnesota leaders began pushing a new smartphone application on Monday that would alert users to potential exposure to COVID-19 based on technology that they say will also keep personal information private.
The COVIDaware MN application , similar to those in use in several other states, depends on people downloading the program and sending out an alert if they test positive for the virus. Neither will happen automatically for smartphone users.
It took months for COVID-19 to gain a foothold in Roseau County, on Minnesota's northern border. But now the virus is spreading rapidly and this week county officials are starting a comprehensive public campaign to convince residents to take the threat seriously.
MPR News reporter Dan Gunderson has this story on how Dan Fabian is the face of the campaign. He's retiring from five terms in the state Legislature in January and taking over as Mayor of Roseau.
In national news, the General Services Administration has ascertained that President-elect Joe Biden is the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election, clearing the way for the start of the transition from President Donald Trump's administration.
Trump, who had refused to concede the election, said in a tweet that he is directing his team to cooperate on the transition but is vowing to keep up the fight.
🎧 Tune in and stay informed. Here's what's coming up on MPR News today.
-- Matt Mikus, MPR News (@mikusmatt) |
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