Mayo Clinic temporarily closing 5 Minnesota clinics to staff COVID-19 response

BELLE PLAINE, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Mayo Clinic Health System will be temporarily closing five clinics across Minnesota in order to move staff resources to help with the surge of COVID-19 cases, according to a press release.

Operations have already been suspended at the Belle Plaine clinic. The Mankato-Northridge, Le Sueur, Janesville and Waterville clinics will close on Monday, Dec. 7. Patients with upcoming appointments at the impacted locations will be notified.

During the closure, patients can receive care at other Mayo Clinic Health System sites or through virtual video visits with local providers. Mayo Clinic also has a 24/7 Nurse Line and an online health care for some common health concerns.

On Friday, Minnesota reported 5,371 new COVID-19 cases and 61 more deaths from the disease. While the amount of hospitalizations has been steadily decreasing this week, hospitals have faced staffing shortages in recent weeks due to the virus.