Tag: pandemic

Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: March 20, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

These continue to be challenging and uncertain times, but I’ve been deeply moved by the ways our community and state have banded together during this pandemic. We’re working hard in the Minnesota Legislature to ensure our state stays strong during and after COVID-19, even if the way we work has been altered.

MN House Proposals

At home, we’ve been trying to get outside daily for some fresh air and exercise on one of Eden Prairie’s many recreational trails, and I’ve had the chance to say hello to a number of neighbors at a six-foot distance. I hope you have the opportunity to do so as well.

Trail

The latest from Governor Walz includes new executive orders granting Emergency Authority to the Department of Human Services (DHS), regulations preventing price gouging, and opening MNsure for enrollment. Continue reading “Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (HD48B) Update: March 20, 2020”

Gov. Walz’s Minnesota COVID-19 Update: March 20, 2020

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March 20, 2020

Below is an update on the COVID-19 pandemic as it pertains to Minnesota as of 5:15 PM on 3/20/2020.

Updates from the Governor

Governor Tim Walz joined the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and public health leaders today for a detailed briefing on the state’s COVID-19 response. To streamline future state updates and information related to the pandemic, the Governor will convene press briefings every weekday at 2pm. Tune in live on the Governor’s Facebook page.

Ban on Price Gouging

Governor Walz worked with Attorney General Keith Ellison to ban price gouging in Minnesota. Over the last weeks, across our state and country, we heard reports of people trying to make a buck off this crisis. One store advertised hand sanitizer for $60 a bottle. A convenience store offered toilet paper at $10 a roll next to a sign reading: “This is not a joke.”

That behavior hurts Minnesotans. Executive Order 20-10 prohibits price gouging during the peacetime emergency. The order takes effect Saturday, March 21 at 5:00 p.m. Continue reading “Gov. Walz’s Minnesota COVID-19 Update: March 20, 2020”

Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 20, 2020

Dear Neighbors,

As thing continues to change rapidly, be mindful of sources of information, especially if it’s an email, phone call, or letter offering something that seems too good to be true. The Minnesota Department of Commerce has resources available for identifying and reporting scams, which you can find here.

I also wanted to share (again) a very useful compilation of numbers and links to help answer various pandemic-related questions.

MN House Proposals

How we do our work at the Minnesota Legislature has drastically changed, but the work still remains. My colleagues and I are working on a number of measures, including: Continue reading “Rep. Michael Howard (HD50A) Update: March 20, 2020”

Coronavirus will radically alter the U.S.

Washington Post logoHere’s what may lie ahead based on math models, hospital projections and past pandemics

When Jason Christie, chief of pulmonary medicine at Penn Medicine, got projections on how many coronavirus patients might soon be flocking to his Philadelphia hospital, he said he felt physically ill.

“My front-line providers — we were speaking about it in the situation report that night, and their voices cracked,” Christie said Wednesday. They saw how quickly the surge would overwhelm the system, forcing doctors to make impossible choices — which patients would get ventilators and beds, and which would die.

“They were terrified.” Christie said. “And that was the best-case scenario.” Continue reading. free article

Rep. Liebling applauds Gov. Walz executive orders providing flexibility for DHS services

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Governor Tim Walz issued executive orders to ensure critical services continue for the state’s most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Order 20-11 authorizes the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to seek federal authority to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements for federal programs, including the Minnesota Family Investment Program, Medical Assistance, and MinnesotaCare, to ensure these programs continue providing necessary support to Minnesota families.

Executive Order 20-12 allows DHS to temporarily issue waivers or modifications to state requirements to ensure that their services can be delivered to Minnesotans safely and without undue delay, protecting vulnerable Minnesotans and those who care for them. DHS provides health care coverage, programs, and services for over 1 million Minnesotans, including groups likely to be significantly impacted by COVID-19 such as older adults, individuals who have disabilities, families with children, and individuals with mental illness.

Rep. Tina Liebling, chair of the House Health and Human Services Finance Division, issued the following statement:

“The services many vulnerable Minnesotans rely on are still necessary during the global pandemic. DHS and their partner organizations need flexibility to deliver these services. Lawmakers worked diligently across party lines and with Governor Walz’s administration to reach consensus on giving DHS this emergency authority. Our work is reflected in what the Governor announced today. I thank Governor Walz and DHS Commissioner Harpstead for their leadership. Today’s executive order will help ensure that services for people with disabilities, mental health support, childcare, housing, and other critical public health programs and services can continue. We will keep working to ensure that all Minnesotans can be safe, healthy, and well during this challenging time.”

Sidelined CDC forced to cancel briefings at the last minute as White House Task Force ignites ‘chaos’

AlterNet logoAs the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow with no end in sight, the Washington Post reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has apparently been sidelined by the White House when it comes to its ability to inform the public.

“Neither CDC Director Robert Redfield nor Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director who has played key roles in CDC’s emergency responses stretching back two decades, including the 2009 influenza pandemic, have appeared behind the podium during White House coronavirus task force briefings for more than a week,” the Post’s Lena Sun writes.

The CDC, already facing criticism for the sluggish rollout of testing kits, has not held telephone briefings for reporters in over a week, and as Sun points out, its messaging on mass gatherings and social distancing has been overtaken by conflicting messages from the White House. Continue reading.

McConnell details GOP proposal for third coronavirus bill

The Hill logoSenate Republicans are finalizing their proposal for the third tranche of coronavirus aid, which is expected to be unveiled Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), speaking from the Senate floor, outlined what will be included in the Republican package and said lawmakers must take “bold steps” amid the growing outbreak.

“It is critical that we move swiftly and boldly to begin to stabilize our economy, preserve Americans’ jobs, get money to workers and families and keep up our fight on the health front. That is exactly, exactly what our proposal will do,” McConnell said. Continue reading.

Younger adults are large percentage of coronavirus hospitalizations in United States, according to new CDC data

White House officials warn millennials they are not immune

The deadly coronavirus has been met with a bit of a shrug among some in the under-50 set in the United States. Even as public health officials repeatedly urged social distancing, the young and hip spilled out of bars on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. They gleefully hopped on flights, tweeting about the rock-bottom airfares. And they gathered in packs on beaches.

Their attitudes were based in part on early data from China, which suggested covid-19 might seriously sicken or kill the elderly — but spare the young.

Stark new data from the United States and Europe suggests otherwise. Continue reading. (free article)

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: March 20, 2020

CAPITOL UPDATE: HELPING BUSINESSES UPDATE

During this difficult time for all of us, I will try to periodically share information that we think you will find useful in staying safe and managing your lives. We can’t be comprehensive, but hopefully you will find our communications to be helpful to you and your family.

Helping Minnesota Businesses during COVID-19

Starting soon businesses can apply for SBA low interest loans
We care deeply about your business and are actively working with state and federal partners on measures to assist businesses through this unprecedented time.

DEED is regularly connecting with business leaders from around Minnesota to offer information, hear their questions and ensure we are doing all we can as quickly as we can. Continue reading “Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: March 20, 2020”

Coronavirus quarantines and your legal rights: 4 questions answered

The unknown is frightening. And with the spread of a deadly and communicable disease – the coronavirus is both – individual liberties may be temporarily sidelined to protect the larger community.

Indeed, history has shown us that whenever the United States has encountered a biological threat, the government invariably weighs individual freedoms against the compelling need to protect the rest of us from a widespread epidemic. More often than not, a clampdown on civil liberties occurs.

As a disaster law scholar, I study vulnerable populations during various stages of disaster response. In the age of coronavirus, people are asking me questions about their rights. Here are some answers:  Continue reading.