COVID-19 Briefing: Minnesota’s goal is to ‘test, trace, isolate, reopen’ amid pandemic, but no sign it can happen anytime soon

Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state continues to work toward finding ways to reopen without risking residents’ safety but said there is still a considerable way to go for that to happen.

Earlier Monday, Walz extended the peacetime emergency in the state for 30 days, saying it was necessary for many of the efforts put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 to continue.

"The virus will lay out the timetable for us," Walz said of when things will reopen and get back to somewhat of a normal state of operations.

That being said, Walz said everyone wants to open things back up and get the economy rolling as soon as possible but if it happens too soon, people and businesses who are affected by the virus will close anyway, pointing to the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, meat plant that closed and had hundreds of positive cases, which also happened at a plant in Iowa.

Walz added that the goal is for the state to "test, trace, isolate" to be able to open back up and get back to a more normalized state of operations. However, there’s not yet an ability to do that due to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing issues, plus the lack of a vaccine. Walz said they’re working to get to a point where they can isolate vulnerable people, get everyone back to work but have the proper supply of equipment and testing to treat and care for those who need it.

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He also said it’s not feasible or sustainable to keep people sheltered at home for much longer but said they need federal help to ramp up production of the necessary equipment so states can have needed supplies to reopen as much as possible without severely risking residents’ health. Walz added that they’re also working directly with businesses to try to allow for Minnesota to do that as soon as possible.

Walz also briefly talked about flooding in the Red River Valley, noting that water levels came down from over the weekend and saying it’s looking like that situation will be under control by Friday and the National Guard can be called home.

Lawmakers and business owners on Monday rallied at the Capitol in a push to allow alcohol purchases in takeout orders to help bars and restaurants affected by the ‘stay at home’ order. Walz said he’s supportive of that measure but he’d prefer the legislature pass it so he can immediately sign in. He said his office is still exploring whether he needs to sign an executive order but hopes the legislature will do it so there aren’t possible legal challenges to an executive order.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm and Kris Ehresmann, the head of infectious disease at MDH, reiterated that health care workers and the most vulnerable people, such as those with underlying health issues, are being prioritized with testing for COVID-19 in Minnesota. Walz noted that less than 1% of the population has been tested and agreed that far more people need to be tested at a much quicker pace. Walz said he’s asked the state’s health officials to try to get more people tested but said it’s a process.

Malcolm also encouraged health care providers to allow caregivers or home care workers to attend any medical appointments with patients as they normally would, noting that they’re classified as essential personnel and should be allowed to help their patients.

MDH on Monday reported 29 new cases of COVID-19, creating a total of 1,650 cases in the state, but no additional deaths, keeping the toll at 70. The department stated, as of Monday, the state has completed 9,441 tests and private labs have completed 28,986 tests. Of the total, 361 cases have required hospitalization while 842 patients no longer need to be isolated.

Minnesota sees no additional COVID-19 deaths Monday, total cases reach 1,650

According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, about 1,860,011 people worldwide are currently infected and the virus has killed more than 116,000 people. Roughly 441,820 of the confirmed cases have recovered.

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove said as of Monday, over 428,000 unemployment insurance (UI) applications have been filed in the state since March 16.

Grove added that they’re still getting ideas from businesses on how to implement social distancing in the workplace to let more people get back to work, but it’s a work in progress.

Grove answered more questions on UI with KSTP that you can find here. You can also find answers to frequently asked questions regarding UI here.

Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Joe Kelly said FEMA approved the state’s funding request for non-congregate shelter, which will help officials provide shelter for those who test positive for COVID-19 and can’t return home while reimbursing the state for costs.

Being Severe Weather Awareness Week, Kelly also pointed to the severe weather that hit the southern U.S. hard Sunday night and urged Minnesotans to be ready for severe weather.

Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans said a hiring freeze has been placed on all executive branch jobs effective immediately, excluding jobs required to be filled by state law. Walz will also take a 10% pay cut through the end of the year.

Frans added that an updated budget projection in early May should begin to show impact of the virus on the state economy. Most, if not all, of the $1.5 billion projected surplus from earlier this year is expected to be gone due to the effects of the virus on the state’s economy, as well as the state’s response to combat COVID-19.

Metropolitan Council Chairman Charlie Zelle said Metro Mobility is offering free pick-ups and drop-offs for health care workers beginning immediately.