Security officials urge Minnesotans to avoid state Capitol

Winter weather will impact the region for the next couple of days. Much of the state, including the Twin Cities, could get several inches of snow by Friday night. Find the latest on Updraft.

There will be traffic restrictions and an increased law enforcement presence near Minnesota’s Capitol over the coming week.

The Department of Public Safety is advising the public to steer clear of the Capitol unless they have planned activity or business. That’s in response to concerns of violent demonstrations ahead of Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in Washington.

Motor vehicle traffic in the vicinity will be restricted to deliveries, state agency employees and other specified personnel. Foot traffic will be allowed. A fence rings the building itself.

Hospitalizations keep trending downward. Deaths are still high — 43 today. Meanwhile case numbers which were up in recent weeks are not increasing as much.

But a highlight here, is the declining positivity rate. Just 5.2 percent of people tested in the last seven days were infected with COVID-19.

That number, on its own might not mean much. But for public health officials, 5 percent is a bit of a milestone. Anything more is concerning. Anything less is tentatively manageable.