| Nov. 21, 2020 Wintry mix might lead to icy roads. There’s a winter weather advisory for light freezing rain across central Minnesota tonight. A wintry mix of snow, rain and freezing drizzle is possible through Tuesday in eastern Minnesota. Snow accumulations of 2 inches or more are the most likely across western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. The state rolled out a new smartphone app to help track coronavirus exposure, saying it may encourage Minnesotans to get tested and quarantine to keep others safe. The app uses a randomly generated key to ID a phone user, and uses Bluetooth technology to keep track of others nearby, without collecting or sharing personal data for anyone involved. If a phone user gets a positive COVID-19 test, and enters a corresponding code, it will alert others that they may have been exposed.
The latest COVID-19 case count fell to about 6,400, helping the key seven-day rolling average to post a third straight daily decline after peaking Friday. Also, the latest data includes 24 additional deaths. That’s less than half of the average daily toll over the previous week, although Mondays are statistically near the bottom of what has become a weekly cycle of COVID-19 data reporting. The latest data reflects twice the death toll from a week ago.
Health care officials say their patient counts are still very high, and they’re still worried about the potential for transmission during Thanksgiving holiday gatherings.
Gov. Walz said today he is putting together a state-based business relief package, that could include tax relief, aid for workers and grants to restaurants that provide food for health care workers and homeless shelters. Walz said he plans to roll out more details this week, and is willing to call a special legislative session immediately to approve a relief package. You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | 