Frontline worker bonus pay applications now open, early hours face challenges
Hundreds of thousands of workers who were on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota can now sign up for a $500 million pool of bonus checks.
Allina Health drops visitation ban as COVID-19 cases fall
As Minnesota moves past the omicron spike, Allina Health is relaxing its visitation guidelines.
Minnesota schools prepare for return to in-person classes after COVID-19 pause
Many school districts across the Twin Cities are returning to in-person learning this week. Because of a surge in COVID-19 cases coming out of winter break, they’ve been out of the classroom for 2 weeks of distance-learning.
Minnesota man battling COVID-19 moved to Texas hospital after lawsuit over ventilator
A Buffalo, Minnesota man suffering from a devastating case of COVID-19 is in Texas where his family is hoping and praying doctors there can save his life.
Supreme Court ruling scrambles vaccine mandate plans in Minneapolis, St. Paul
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that blocks the Biden administration from enforcing vaccine-or-test mandates against employees at large companies will have wide-ranging effects in Minnesota.
Amid COVID-19 absences, concerns raised over teachers providing medical care in local district
Former District 196 employee and school board candidate Jacob Rylander discusses his concerns about teachers being asked to perform medical procedures on students.
Walz earmarks $40M for emergency staffing with thousands of hospital workers out sick
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is earmarking $40 million in federal COVID-19 relief to bring in hundreds of emergency hospital workers as the omicron variant causes a surge in infections across the state.
Minnesota nurses on pandemic: 'We’re losing the war'
Last year, Mary Turner, the president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, likened the fight against COVID-19 as a war and nurses as the soldiers going to battle. Nearly 20 months into the pandemic, her assessment remains grim.
'We're overwhelmed': Minnesota hospitals run full page ad in newspapers
In a letter running in newspapers across Minnesota, hospital leaders say they are sounding the alarm about the stresses the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place on the hospital system in the state.
Vaccine mandates aren't causing staff shortage, Mayo and Allina say
Two of Minnesota's biggest health care systems, Mayo Clinic and Allina Health, refute claims that their COVID-19 vaccine mandates are causing a staff shortage that has the state scrambling for answers.
COVID-19 hospitalizations surpass 1,500 in Minnesota
More than 1,500 people are now hospitalized from COVID-19 in Minnesota, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Health.
U.S. military medical team arrives at HCMC to relieve COVID backup
U.S. soldiers deployed Tuesday to two Minnesota hospitals that care for some of the sickest COVID-19 patients and are facing staff shortages.
'It was really scary:' Minnesota hospitals struggle with COVID surge
Minnesota hospitals are caring for 40 percent more COVID-19 patients since the start of November as the state became the country's worst COVID-19 hotspot this week.
Pandemic continues to hit rural Minnesota hospitals hard
Itasca County health officials say there are no more open beds for critical patients, as the county deals with "crisis levels" not seen since November of 2020.
Minnesota's pandemic pay panel can't agree it's failed
Minnesota lawmakers tasked with sending $250 million in COVID-19 pandemic pay to frontline workers this fall have failed. A Wednesday afternoon meeting of the Legislature's pay panel -- the first meeting in nearly two months -- yielded no progress.
Minnesota pandemic pay panel likely to miss Monday deadline
A legislative panel tasked with deciding who gets $250 million set aside for frontline workers will likely miss its Monday deadline.
Minnesota lawmakers hear COVID horror stories as workers seek $250 million in pandemic pay
AFSCME estimates that 1 million workers could fall under the federal government's definition of essential, and lawmakers will now work to decide who will be included in the $250 million that's been authorized.
Sen. Smith pushes bill to help pandemic frontline workers get citizenship
Senator Tina Smith says she wants to help undocumented frontline workers, who served the country through the pandemic, find a pathway to citizenship.
‘Now is not the time’: Nurses’ union condemns CDC for relaxing mask protocols for vaccinated people
National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the country, released a statement condemning the CDC for rolling back mask requirements for fully vaccinated people.
Essential workers mark 1 year since COVID-19 declared a national emergency
Saturday, March 13 marked a milestone: one year since the declaration of a national emergency because of COVID-19.