COVID-19: Coverage of the pandemic from MPR News

The latest news, resources, guides and tips to help you stay up to date on the coronavirus pandemic.

Minnesota unemployment rate falls to 7.7 percent
In June, the state’s unemployment rate was 8.6 percent. Though Minnesota's jobless rate has been falling since hitting a record high in May, it remains more than double what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic began. 
U.S. jobless claims jump back above 1 million in face of virus
The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment benefits rose to 1.1 million last week after two weeks of declines, evidence that employers are still cutting large numbers of jobs as the coronavirus bedevils the U.S. economy.
Aug. 20 update on COVID-19 in MN: School guidance map shifts again
In the latest batch of calculations released Thursday, 11 counties saw their recommendations change for the worse if school started today, away from in-person learning for all students, while six counties saw improvements. Here’s the latest map.
Georgia teachers' back-to-school rap about virtual learning goes viral
Callie Evans and Audri Williams rap about online learning and the COVID-19 pandemic from the empty halls of Monroe Comprehensive High School, backed up by mask-wearing, move-busting cheerleaders.
Macalester president on reopening the campus: 'We’re going to follow the science'
Students will begin arriving at Macalester College in St. Paul next week. Ahead of the reopening, MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with the college’s president, Suzanne Rivera, about navigating the pandemic.