Tag: pandemic

Minnesota House of Representatives passes emergency COVID-19 investments in health care system

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The Minnesota House of Representatives has passed SF 4334, which provides $200 million in investments for a health care response fund and Minnesota’s public health response contingency account.

“While each of us is working as hard as we can to decrease the risk of transmission, we must ensure our health care providers have the resources they need to take care of Minnesotans who may be afflicted with COVID-19,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “These investments are critical to addressing this pandemic and making sure Minnesotans who get sick get the care they need.”

“We’re taking a strong emergency step to help our healthcare system and Minnesotans who will need care,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “This is just the first of many issues that we will need to address in the coming weeks and months. We will continue to work together with the Walz Administration and the Minnesota Senate to help the people of Minnesota navigate this public health crisis.” Continue reading “Minnesota House of Representatives passes emergency COVID-19 investments in health care system”

White House urges public to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people

Axios logoThe White House’s coronavirus task force announced tougher guidelines on Monday to help slow the spread of the disease, including limiting social gatherings of more than 10 people.

Why it matters: The tougher guidelines, which will be in place for at least a 15-day period, come as the number of reported cases in the U.S. has surpassed 4,000. President Trump said the changes to everyday life as a result of the crisis could be the “new normal” in the U.S. until July or August.

Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, recommended the following measures during a press briefing on Monday:

  • If someone within your household is infected with the virus, everyone else within the home should also self-quarantine.
  • Avoid nonessential travel.
  • Avoid eating or drinking in bars and public food courts. Continue reading.

What Makes Coronavirus So Different From Earlier Crises?

The coronavirus pandemic is hardly the first national crisis that Americans have faced in this century. But it’s different from the previous ones, and we are not ready for it.

What sets it apart from the 9/11 attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and the Great Recession is that it will require us to make unwanted sacrifices. Absorbing that stark necessity has taken time and sapped our willingness to act.

After the 9/11 attacks, the message Americans got was not to hunker down in fear. “The American people have got to go about their business,” said President George W. Bush. “We cannot let the terrorists achieve the objective of frightening our nation to the point where we don’t conduct business, where people don’t shop.” Continue reading.

How Republican Policies Will Exacerbate The Pandemic

The South is deeply conservative and widely impoverished — especially the Deep South. That combination could portend awful consequences for us as the spread of the new coronavirus, now officially a pandemic, accelerates.

The confluence of reactionary politics and an impoverished population will exacerbate the already frightening consequences of COVID-19. For one thing, many of the white voters of this region are not only diehard supporters of President Donald J. Trump, but they are also a dedicated audience for right-wing news outlets such as Fox News, whose hosts have repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of the virus.

Following Trump’s lead, conservative talk show hosts have told their listeners that the coronavirus is a “hoax” concocted by the “liberal media” to bring down his presidency. Even after Anthony Fauci, the highly respected head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before Congress about the lethality of the virus, Rush Limbaugh told his radio audience, “This coronavirus … all of this panic is just not warranted. This … virus is the common cold.” That means local leaders in this region will be ill-equipped to order shutdowns of mass gatherings or to urge the social distancing measures that are necessary. Continue reading.

Racing to prevent an economic meltdown

Emergency sirens are blaring across the global economy. The coronavirus crisis that seemed like a substantial risk a week ago is now a devastating threat to the U.S. economy. America in a matter of days witnessed key parts of its transportation, hospitality and entertainment sectors (among others) rush into stunning shutdowns from coast to coast. Countless businesses that cannot go remote are going dark entirely, for at least weeks and maybe months. Layoffs are under way, financial markets are convulsing and an economic contraction is glaringly obvious without a single piece of official data.

The choice now for the Trump administration and Congress is only the size of the bazooka to pull out. The Federal Reserve became the first of the firefighters to arrive on the scene with a huge show of force— back to zero percent rates and huge asset purchases, responding to clear indications that key financial markets are not working properly — in a Sunday night emergency action that felt very 2008. Fed Chair Jerome Powell was clear about the central bank’s willingness to step up, and about the fact that it can’t resolve a pandemic or manufacture fiscal powers. But he hinted at other emergency-lending tricks, such as the Fed’s 13(3) ability to lend to non-financial companies, that could come to the rescue with far less controversy than a dozen years ago.

Trillion-dollar packages were being floated last week by President Donald Trump (partly through a payroll tax cut that few lawmakers want). The scale of the current crisis suggests we’re poised to see a response surpassing the size of the 2009 stimulus. Congress is set to pass its second major coronavirus-related response in the coming days. But that’s not close to the end. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicated over the weekend “we’re in the early innings” of the administration’s response with “100 different things that we’re looking at.” He and other senior administration officials were meeting throughout the weekend to prepare the next round of proposals, which we should hear about soon. Continue reading.

CDC recommends suspending large events for 8 weeks

It is a dramatic escalation over previous recommendations.

The CDC on Sunday recommended canceling or postponing all events nationwide with more than 50 people — the most aggressive federal guidance issued yet in the worsening the coronavirus crisis.

The new guidelines on mass gatherings apply for the next eight weeks, the CDC said, and exclude schools, higher education institutions and businesses. The agency also specified that the guidelines would not take precedence over rules imposed by individual states.

“This recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus,” the CDC said. The agency cited conferences, parades and weddings as examples of large gatherings. Continue reading.

House, Senate pass $200 million for health care providers in fight against COVID-19

In the early hours of Tuesday, the House passed a bill to provide $200 million for health care providers in need of support to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

HF3980/SF4334* was passed 108-0 at about 3:10 a.m. after the Senate passed it 55-0 less than an hour earlier. It now goes to Gov. Tim Walz for an expected signature.

“This bill is … truly urgent,” said Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester), who sponsors the bill with Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). “We are potentially in a very dire situation.”

The bill would provide two funding pools:

  • $50 million under the state’s public health response contingency account, which has rules built in that would allow the money to get where it’s needed quickly; and
  • $150 million to create a health care response fund in the state treasury, which would be used to make grants and take a little longer to reach the beneficiaries. Any money left over on Feb. 1, 2021 would be returned to the General Fund and the section would sunset on June 30, 2022.

Both would be accessible by care providers including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, nursing facilities, health care facilities, ambulance services, and settings in which assisted living services or health care services are provided.

Read the full story at Session Daily

Statements from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on temporary closure of bars, restaurants, and venues; action to support workers

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — This afternoon, Governor Walz announced the temporary closure of Minnesota bars and restaurants for dine-in customers, theaters, gyms, and other venues. The Governor also took executive action to strengthen Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and ensure that affected establishments have benefits available for workers who are not able to work as a result of COVID-19.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements:

“The decisions made by Governor Walz today are in the best interest of Minnesotans,” said Speaker Hortman. “Social distancing and drastically limiting the size of crowds are critically important to slowing the spread of COVID-19. Minnesotans should follow the guidelines put forward by the Minnesota Department of Health and the CDC. If at all possible, limit your time outside of your home, especially if you are older or at higher risk.” Continue reading “Statements from Speaker Hortman and Majority Leader Winkler on temporary closure of bars, restaurants, and venues; action to support workers”

Pandemic derails resilient US economy

The Hill logoThe coronavirus pandemic is the greatest challenge that the U.S. economy and financial system have faced in more than a decade.

As the U.S. braces for cases of the coronavirus to rise through the country, Americans are preparing to hunker down and withdraw from society in a bid to avoid infection — or at least buy time for a medical system that may be stretched beyond its limits.

Financial markets have suffered their worst losses since the 1987 stock market crash, wiping out nearly three years of gains and prompting crisis-level action from the Federal Reserve. Continue reading.

With unprecedented force and speed, a global recession is likely taking hold

Washington Post logoThe United States is suffering the most abrupt and widespread cessation of economic activity in its history, hurtling toward a recession that could mean lost jobs, income and wealth for millions of Americans.

Across the country, consumer spending — which supports 70 percent of the economy — is grinding to a halt as fears of the escalating coronavirus pandemic keep people from stores, restaurants, movie theaters and workplaces.

The rapid national shutdown already has caused layoffs and reverberated on Wall Street, driving stocks into their first bear market in 11 years. Amid panic selling, unusual strains have appeared in less visible market niches that are critical to the ability of businesses to operate normally. Continue reading.