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Minnesota’s confirmed COVID-19 case count climbed past 80,000 on Sunday, amid warnings from state health officials to stay vigilant about safety guidelines during Labor Day weekend gatherings.

The state Department of Health reported 714 more confirmed cases, bringing the overall total to 80,587. The state also reported six more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the overall death toll to 1,857. 

Two of the newly reported deaths were people who lived in long-term care facilities; the other four lived in private homes. They ranged in age from late 40s to early 80s.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Minnesota — and the number of those patients being treated in ICUs — both increased in Sunday’s report.

State public health leaders said last week they believe too many Minnesotans have numbed to the need to stay vigilant in the pandemic, opening the door to more spread that can’t easily be traced. They’re worried informal Labor Day holiday gatherings of family and friends will accelerate the trend.

Here's 5 ways to stay COVID-19-safe

Health authorities sounded the alarm that the state is on the wrong path heading into fall and winter, and they urged Minnesotans to wear masks and socially distance even at casual meetups with friends and family.

Minnesota currently has more than 6,000 active, confirmed cases, a record in the outbreak, although the number (confirmed and unconfirmed) was likely higher in May when testing was much lower.

With newly confirmed cases rising steeply the past few weeks and college students and kids returning to school, young adults are a particular concern.

People in their 20s make up the age bracket with the state’s largest number of confirmed cases  — more than 18,000 since the pandemic began, including more than 10,000 among people ages 20-24. 

They are driving the current outbreaks, although the number of high school-age children confirmed with the disease is also growing, topping 7,000 cases for children 15 to 19 years old.

While less likely to feel the worst effects of the disease, experts worry youth and young adults will spread it to grandparents and other vulnerable populations and that such outbreaks could cripple attempts to reopen campuses completely to in-person teaching. 

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm reiterated last week that case surges early on in the pandemic could be easily traced to meatpacking plants and other easily identified points of origin, but that’s not the case in the current surge. 

About one-third of new cases now are now coming from community spread of unknown origin, higher than just before the last major holiday that brought Minnesotans together, the Fourth of July.

“We’re in a more precarious situation today” compared to then, Malcolm said. “There is risk in this situation. The virus is all over the state. The outbreaks are happening all over the state … and we just want people to be vigilant.”

Minnesota schools scale back reopening plans

Walz's schools plan stresses in-classroom teaching, flexibility to shift

Reporting backlog from Twin Cities lab leads to unprecedented Minn. COVID-19 case counts

The Mall of America said Thursday that it plans to cut more than 200 jobs. 

The Bloomington megamall was forced to close for three months at the start of the pandemic. 

It reopened at limited capacity in June, but has struggled financially. 

In a legally-mandated letter to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, managers say they plan to cut 211 positions permanently by the end of the month. 

Furloughs for another 178 employees could continue beyond Sept. 30. 

In a statement, mall spokesperson Dan Jasper says managers hope to reinstate the furloughed workers when business conditions allow.

Walz, Gazelka chat over COVID-19, emergency powers

DFL Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka held a private meeting Thursday to try to iron out their differences over the state’s COVID-19 response.

Walz is expected to seek another extension of the emergency, even though Gazelka and other Republicans say it's gone on too long.

“It’s going to be almost a half a year, a half a year of emergency powers with no end in sight. So, that‘s why we’re asking him to come up some parameters so we know what is the pathway out of here,” Gazelka said. “So that the legislative branch can work together with the governor, rather than the governor having all of the decision-making.”

Still, Gazelka believes they can find common ground moving forward to help businesses and schools.

“I think we should take it seriously. But at the same time, we have to measure all these businesses closing, kids not in school. What are we going to do about those issues as well?”

Both Gazelka and Walz said the meeting was positive. But Walz stressed that the emergency is not over.

“We’re learning a lot of COVID-19. The one thing is it does not follow our timeline,” Walz said.

Minnesota Supreme Court expected to expedite voter-aid case

Justices will decide if a pair of laws covering the level of assistance permitted for voters will remain active or be suspended. A lower court halted enforcement. The case is one in a sprawling battle over the way the 2020 election will be conducted.

 Sugarbeet growers and processors hire thousands of workers each year of the harvest. This year they need to protect them from COVID-19 to ensure the harvest is brought in.

At least 12 states report coronavirus cases linked to Sturgis rally: 

More than two weeks after nearly half a million bikers flocked to South Dakota, the tally of coronavirus infections traced back to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has surpassed 260, an estimate that is growing steadily as more states report cases, with the first known COVID-19 death of an attendee reported in Minnesota.

Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at the 

How it compares with other diseases in 5 charts

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Minnesota’s confirmed COVID-19 case count climbed past 80,000 on Sunday, amid warnings from state health officials to stay vigilant about safety guidelines during Labor Day weekend gatherings.


Sept. 6 update on COVID-19 in MN: Confirmed cases climb past 80,000

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