Coronavirus mitigation efforts to be outlined Friday in Minnesota

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Gov. Tim Walz proposed a dramatically scaled-down spending plan Thursday focused on restocking the state’s rainy day fund and emergency response as the coronavirus spreads across the country.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota public health officials will hold a Friday afternoon news conference to announce new community mitigation efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The news conference will happen at 1 p.m. Friday. In other states, mitigation efforts have included limits on the size of public gatherings. Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders discussed the issue at a one-hour, closed-door meeting Thursday afternoon in the Capitol.

Walz on Thursday said he did not yet think Minnesota schools should cancel classes because of the outbreak, which has sickened at least nine people in Minnesota and more than 1,000 across the U.S. But he foreshadowed major changes on the horizon.

“I think I would not be speaking out of turn to say, from this Thursday to next Thursday, things in the state will look very different,” Walz told reporters at a news conference where the governor, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and budget commissioner Myron Frans stood a few feet apart. Walz said they were practicing “social distancing” to prevent illness.

Fears about an outbreak led three Democratic lawmakers who are medical doctors to call for the cancelation of all large gatherings in the Capitol complex. The lawmakers are state Reps. Alice Mann and Kelly Morrison and state Sen. Matt Klein.

“It’s clear that social distancing is our best weapon right now to delay the onset of this virus,” Klein said in an interview. “We have people that come down to the capitol that are seniors or people with chronic medical issues. They’re better off if they can to not come down here and stay home.”

As Klein spoke, advocates held a rally in the Capitol rotunda to raise awareness for mental illness. School groups trekked through the Capitol hallways and into the governor’s ornate reception room, their school buses parked outside.

Walz said his administration will put out guidance over the coming hours and days about whether large gatherings across Minnesota should continue. The goal is to “make sure people feel comfortable and not confused,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, the first-term Democratic governor proposed a dramatically scaled-down spending plan Thursday focused on restocking the state’s rainy day fund and emergency response as the coronavirus spreads across the country.

Walz recommended $525 million in additional spending through summer 2023, without the early childhood education investments that House Democrats wanted or the tax cuts that Senate Republicans favor. In addition, Walz proposed restoring $491 million to the state’s rainy day fund.

“Now is not the right time (for major spending),” Walz said.

The coronavirus outbreak has sent shockwaves through the U.S. economy and financial markets. The National Basketball Association and Major League Soccer have suspended their seasons, the NCAA has canceled its postseason tournaments, the U.S. has stopped travel from Europe, and universities have canceled in-person classes.

Walz said the state Legislature should pass his supplemental budget request, a bonding bill for infrastructure projects, and public health bills related to coronavirus before adjourning quickly. The state Constitution does not require lawmakers to adjourn until May 18.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka downplayed when reporters asked if the Legislature should leave town early.

“I just feel like we can be around. We have to change how we do things. We’re listening to CDC on what are their recommendations,” Gazelka told reporters.

Walz said he is considering doing his March 23 State of the State address via Facebook Live or postponing it, instead of the traditional setting in the Minnesota House chamber. But no decision has been made, he said.

A videoconferencing system has been set up in the Governor’s Residence in St. Paul as the state makes continuity of operations plans, Walz said.

The governor’s $525 million supplemental budget proposal includes $256 million through summer 2021 and an additional $268 million in the two years after that.

The supplemental budget includes $15.6 million in new spending on Metro Transit safety. It adds funding for more police officers, support staff, and monitoring of live video on light rail cars to improve police response to incidents, the governor’s office said in a news release.

The budget proposal also includes $2.4 million to add temporary staff at the state’s Driver and Vehicle Services agency this year in an attempt to reduce the backlog of REAL ID license applications. Minnesotans must have a REAL ID or valid passport by Oct. 1 to board domestic flights, and the state is now urging people to apply by June 15 to ensure they receive their license in time.