Walz extends Minnesota’s state of emergency for 30 additional days

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Gov. Tim Walz says Minnesota’s economy can’t restart without a sharp increase in coronavirus testing. And he says it will also require more contact tracing of those infected and the continued isolation of the most vulnerable people.

Walz spoke Monday after extending Minnesota’s state of emergency for an extra 30 days.

Since Walz issued his original order a month ago, he has used his emergency powers to close schools, bars and restaurants, and ordered Minnesotans to largely stay home.

Twenty-nine more Minnesotans have tested positive, bringing the state’s total of confirmed cases to 1,650. The death toll remains at 70.