“We are closer than ever to ending this pandemic and returning to our daily lives – and we must keep up the momentum,” said Governor Walz. “The peacetime emergency enables us to safeguard the progress we’ve made, protect Minnesotans’ health and well-being, and efficiently deliver the vaccine.”

Minnesota’s peacetime emergency gives the state the tools necessary to quickly establish additional state vaccination sites and acquire supplies and technology to support the vaccine effort. It also supports the expansion Minnesota’s testing capacity; protects Minnesotans against evictions and wage garnishment; provides expedited procurement power for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other equipment; allows Minnesota to follow the advice of public health experts in combatting the spread of COVID-19; protects workers from unsafe worker conditions; requires Minnesotans to wear a face covering in certain settings to prevent the spread of COVID-19; and provides economic relief and stability to Minnesotans and small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

“I am more hopeful than ever that we are on the cusp of putting this pandemic behind us, but we must continue to look out for the safety of our families, neighbors, and community members,” said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. “These tools allow us to monitor new variants and protect the gains we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19.”

The COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency is extended through April 14, 2021.

Minnesota Department of Health Briefing

This afternoon, officials from the Minnesota Department of Health conducted a media briefing with reporters to update the public on the spread of COVID-19 in the state and discuss COVID-19 vaccination.

Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Department of Health

• Commissioner Malcolm reported 1,191 new cases of COVID-19 from Saturday, 994 from Sunday, and 829 for today. This brings the state’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 498,218.
• Yesterday, 16,417 COVID-19 lab tests were processed.
• Another four COVID-19 fatalities were reported for Saturday, five for Sunday, and one for today. The state’s total number of COVID-19 deaths is now 6,747.
• Currently, 260 patients are hospitalized due to COVID-19 with 59 of those in the ICU.
• The seven-day COVID-19 test positivity average is 3.6%.
• The state is close to two million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. This represents a combination of first and second doses. 1.26 million Minnesotans have had a single dose and 725,000 Minnesotans have had both doses.
• Commissioner Malcolm said that while she is pleased to see things moving in the right direction, a lot viral activity remains in the state. She encouraged Minnesotans to keep attending to basic prevention steps – social distancing, masking, staying home when sick, and getting tested when appropriate – to control of the spread of the virus as the state makes progress on vaccination.

Director Kris Ehresmann, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division

• Director Ehresmann highlighted the importance for Minnesotans to get both doses of the vaccine in order to ensure complete protection against COVID-19.
• The CDC has reported that Minnesota is doing well with completing the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• 90.5% of those who were vaccinated between December 14 and February 14 received their second dose.
• Of those individuals, 95% of individuals received the second dose within the recommended interval.
• For those who are unable to receive their second dose where they got their first dose, the Minnesota Department of Health encourages individuals to reach out to their healthcare provider to get on a waiting list for a second dose.
• For those who cannot find a provider to receive the second dose, the Minnesota Department of Health encourages individuals to contact their local public health department.

Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff, Health Protection Bureau

• Assistant Commissioner Huff stated that based on early research, the B117 variant (first discovered in the U.K.) is up to 50% more contagious than the original virus. There is also concern that the variant may be associated with more severe disease.
• More than 250 cases of the B117 variant have been found in more than two dozen counties in Minnesota.
• Case growth of nearly 80% has occurred in Carver County from February to March. Roughly a third of these cases were found among people under age 20.
• 140 COVID-19 cases are associated with this cluster. Of those cases, 32 of these cases are confirmed B117 variant, 67 specimens are still being analyzed, and 41 were unable to be sequenced.
• Assistant Commissioner Huff said that while the state is close to the light at the end of the tunnel, the pandemic is not over. He encouraged Minnesotans need to follow mitigations measures – social distancing, masking, staying home when sick, and testing.

Minnesota Senate Passes Bill Requiring Legislative Approval for Future Peacetime Emergencies

Today, the Minnesota Senate passed Senate File 4. This legislation, authored by Senator Dave Osmek (R-Mound), requires the governor to obtain legislative approval to extend any emergency declaration beyond 30 days. The bill passed 38-29.

Currently, state law allows the governor to extend a peacetime emergency 30 days, subject to approval by the state executive council, which consists of the five statewide elected officials. The law only allows the legislature to terminate emergency powers with a majority vote of both the House and Senate.

Other provisions in the bill include:

• Requiring the governor to give notice of three days to the majority and minority leaders of each body if the governor intends to extend a peacetime emergency when the legislature is not in session.
• Prohibiting the governor from canceling an emergency order and issuing a new declaration for the same emergency in order to avoid approval by the legislature.
• Clarifying that if the governor declares two peacetime emergencies concurrently, the same legislative approval of any extension past 30 days is required for the second emergency.

Governor Walz first invoked peacetime emergency powers on March 13, 2020.

Amos A. Briggs | Government Relations
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