Tag: pandemic

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 4, 2020

September 4, 2020

Updates from the Governor

As Minnesota continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, many families are facing unprecedented challenges due to the economic and public health consequences. Below is a list of financial, mental and physical health, and family resources available for support. 

Testing: Minnesotans with COVID-19 symptoms are always encouraged to get a test. Find a testing location in your community. 

Safety at Home: Stay At Home should never mean you stay somewhere unsafe. There are places of sanctuary open for anyone facing abuse or violence. Please call Minnesota’s statewide crisis hotline – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – at 1.866.223.1111 or text 612.399.9995. 

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 4, 2020”

‘A real kick in the gut’: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson urges fans to wear masks after he and his family get covid-19

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For months, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said he has tackled pandemic restrictions with the same maniacal focus that carried him through a football and professional wrestling career to the top of the box office.

“We were on lockdown since March,” Johnson said Wednesday on Instagram. “We have been disciplined, we have quarantined, we have isolated. I have not worked.” 

But he made one mistake: Inviting family friends into his house who later tested positive. On Wednesday, Johnson, 48, revealed his entire family also contracted the novel coronavirus, and have recovered after several weeks of illness. Continue reading.

Biden blames Trump for coronavirus-related school closures, calls education gap a ‘national emergency’

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WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden on Wednesday sought to channel the frustrations of students, parents, and teachers around the country by squarely blaming President Trump for school districts’ inability to fully reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden, who with his wife, Jill, received a briefing from education leaders here at a sparsely filled downtown theater, said the lack of in-person primary school education around the country was a “national emergency.”

“Let me be clear,” Biden said, in his second speech in three days taking direct aim at his Republican opponent. “If President Trump and his administration had done their jobs early on in this crisis, American schools would be open. And they’d be open safely.” Continue reading.

Sturgis rider from Minnesota dies of COVID-19

A Minnesota man is believed to be the first death after being infected at the South Dakota motorcycle rally

A participant in last month’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota is among the 1,830 people in Minnesota who have died of COVID-19.

The rider was a man in his 60s with underlying health conditions who was hospitalized and placed in intensive care following his infection with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Fifty Minnesotans who took part in the Sturgis event, which draws hundreds of thousands of people each summer, have tested positive. The death is thought to be the first due to infection at Sturgis. Continue reading.

U.S. government debt will nearly equal the size of the entire economy for first time since World War II, CBO finds

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Report comes after huge increase in the deficit this year as government attempted to limit coronavirus fallout

For the first time since World War II, the U.S. government’s debt will roughly equal the size of the entire American economy by the end of this year, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

The rapid change is largely due to the surge in new spending that the government authorized as it tried to control the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

By the end of 2020, the amount of debt owed by the United States will amount to 98 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, the CBO said. That is up from 79 percent last year. Total government debt will surpass the U.S. economy’s size next year, the CBO said. Continue reading.

First covid-19 death linked to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally reported in Minnesota

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The case, involving a biker in his 60s, is one of at least 260 infections traced to the event last month where many declined to wear masks.

A Minnesota biker who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has died of covid-19 — the first fatality from the virus traced to the 10-day event that drew more than 400,000 to South Dakota.

The man was in his 60s, had underlying conditions and was hospitalized in intensive care after returning from the rally, said Kris Ehresmann, infectious-disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health. The case is among at least 260 cases in 11 states tied directly to the event, according to a survey of health departments by The Washington Post.

Epidemiologists believe that figure is a significant undercount, due to the resistance of some rallygoers to testing and the limited contact tracing in some states. As a result, the true scope of infections stemming from the rally that ran from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16 is unlikely to ever be known. Public health officials had long expressed concern over the decision to move forward with the annual event, believed to be the largest held anywhere in the U.S. since the pandemic shelved most large-scale gatherings. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 3, 2020

September 3, 2020

Updates from the Governor

Heading into fall, Governor Tim Walz, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, and Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm today urged Minnesotans to double down in their efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Currently at over 30 percent, Minnesota’s rate of community transmission is at a high and sustained level.

“As we head into the fall and the long winter ahead, we must double down in our fight to combat the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Walz. “We must all do our part to slow the spread, protect our communities, and keep our businesses open. I know it is hard, but Minnesotans are resilient people. We must dig deep, stay strong, and hold the virus at bay.”

“I know it is incredibly difficult to not hug your grandparents. It can be awkward to ask your friends to wear a mask. It’s a hassle to keep sanitizing your hands. But just because you’re over the pandemic, doesn’t mean it’s over you,” said Lt. Governor Flanagan. “As the weather grows colder and we approach flu season, it is more important than ever that we take strict precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 3, 2020”

Tactics of fiery White House trade adviser draw new scrutiny as some of his pandemic moves unravel

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Peter Navarro has faced an internal investigation into his treatment of colleagues, and now two of his coronavirus-related actions are under internal scrutiny

Amid the Trump administration’s troubled response to the coronavirus pandemic, senior White House aide Peter Navarro has refashioned himself as a powerful government purchasing chief, operating far beyond his original role as an adviser on trade policy.

But U.S. officials say the abrasive figure’s shortcomings as a manager could influence how well prepared the United States is for a second wave of coronavirus infections expected this fall.

Navarro’s harsh manner and disregard for protocol have alienated numerous colleagues, corporate executives and prominent Republicans. In a previously undisclosed incident, the White House Counsel’s Office in 2018 investigated Navarro’s behavior in response to repeated complaints and found he routinely had been verbally abusive toward others. Navarro narrowly avoided losing his job, but the abuse has continued as the White House has grappled with the pandemic, multiple administration officials said. Continue reading.

Health care worker COVID-19 infections underscore mask needs

Infections are occurring in clinics and hospitals, but state health leaders believe the majority of doctors and nurses are infected while away from work

Dr. Deepi Goyal had personally treated numerous COVID-19 patients, and yet the infectious disease surprised him last month when he lost taste, felt exhausted and endured soreness as part of his case.

“I consider myself quite healthy, and it really took me down,” the Mayo Clinic doctor said. “Not only did it take me down, but it took me a while to recover.”

Minnesota hasn’t suffered the doomsday scenario of COVID-19 knocking out large swaths of doctors and nurses — leaving infected patients with nobody to care for them — but new data show the toll of the pandemic on health care workers and the need for continued use of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) to act as safeguards. Continue reading.

Trump payroll tax deferral finds few takers among businessesDonald T

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September kicks off the payroll tax deferral period initiated by President Trump last month, but few businesses are expected to participate in a plan that would likely lead to less take-home pay for workers early next year.

Under guidance issued by the IRS last week, employers can stop withholding Social Security payroll taxes from paychecks from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 for employees who make less than $4,000 on a biweekly basis. The money would then be collected by having businesses increase the amount of taxes withheld from paychecks in the first four months of 2021.

“This is like other tax deferrals that we gave which were very helpful to people,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said during a hearing Tuesday held by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. “This is money in people’s pocket that they need now that is very important and very meaningful.” Continue reading.