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Gov. Tim Walz to unveil COVID-19 plans for Minnesota schools

Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years, 9 months AGO
| March 15, 2020 7:05 AM

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has called a news conference for Sunday to unveil plans for Minnesota schools to prepare for and combat COVID-19 as new cases in the state continue to grow.

The governor will make the announcement at 10 a.m.

On Saturday, state health officials said the number of cases of the new coronavirus in Minnesota had risen to 21, up seven from Friday. Among the new cases was a person in their 30s in Renville County, in southwestern Minnesota. All but one of Minnesota's patients are recovering at home.

While investigations are not complete yet, the state's infectious disease director, Kris Ehresmann, said the cases had clear links to someone with confirmed COVID-19 or to a travel history, either domestic or international.

On Friday, Walz declared a peacetime state of emergency and issued a series of recommendations for Minnesotans to take to limit the spread of the disease, such as canceling or postponing gatherings of 250 people or more.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of victims recover.

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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.