| June 8, 2021 There’s a heat advisory in effect for the Twin Cities until 8 p.m. Thursday. Tonight, look for partly cloudy skies, with lows in the mid-60s to lower 70s. Tomorrow, back in the 90s and nearing 100 in southwestern Minnesota on Thursday. Find the latest on the Updraft. Minnesota will remain under a peacetime emergency tied to COVID-19 into July. Gov. Tim Walz confirms he’ll extend his executive authority on Monday, which will prompt a special session for lawmakers to consider overturning the action. He says he wants to maintain the eviction moratorium, emergency vaccine procedures and federal food aid. Legislators also have to meet to pass a new state budget ahead of a June 30 deadline. New COVID-19 cases hit their lowest point since the first days of the pandemic Tuesday.
Just 125 positive test results were reported in the latest data. It was the middle of April 2020 since the daily number has been that low — back when testing had just started across the state.
Active cases have now fallen below 1,700, and are now just one-seventh of what they were a month ago. There were two deaths reported.
But demand for vaccinations is plunging as well. With just 2,100 first time shots, initial vaccinations have hit their second lowest point since the early days when vaccine supplies to Minnesota were faltering and the supply plunged. That's despite new state incentives, and even as Gov. Walz is highlighting a new pop-up vaccination center at the Twin Cities international airport. Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Tim Nelson | 