Welcome to the first Monday of 2021! Heads up, drivers in southern Minnesota: Areas of fog are expected in parts of the state and western Wisconsin this morning. A wintry mix of freezing drizzle and light snow may move into parts of Minnesota later today. Highs today will be in the 30s. Minnesota's current COVID-19 restrictions are set to expire next Sunday, Jan. 10. Gov. Tim Walz says he expects to announce by midweek the next steps for pandemic restrictions on bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. Under the latest governor's order, in-person/indoor dining and drinking is banned to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. With the holidays blurring key COVID-19 data, Minnesota waits for more clarity, and positive signs, in the numbers. Minnesota entered the first full week of 2021 with COVID-19 numbers in a much better place than they were a month ago. Health officials reported 107 new COVID-19 deaths and more than 5,000 new cases over the long holiday weekend -- which covered two days' worth of data. For now, we're waiting to see whether the uptick over the weekend and some other key metrics in recent days are a momentary blip in what have been weeks of declining numbers, or a sign of a changing trajectory in the pandemic.
Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:5,430 deaths (53 new) 420,544 positive cases (2,714 new), 403,419 off isolation (96 percent)5.7 million tests, 3 million people tested (about 52 percent of the population)7.1 percent seven-day positive test rate (officials find 5 percent concerning)On Sunday, hundreds marched and rallied, calling for justice for Dolal Idd, who was shot and killed last week by Minneapolis police. Idd's parents and other relatives joined the crowd that gathered at the shooting scene in south Minneapolis. "I need your help," Idd's father, Bayle Adod Gelle, told the crowd Sunday. "We have a lot of pain (in) the Black community, minority community — they kill every day our kids, no reason. This is unacceptable." Here's what the 27-second bodycam video shows, and tells us, about the shooting last week and what it doesn't. Minneapolis city officials took the unprecedented step of releasing the footage less than 24 hours after the shooting, saying it was needed to further transparency and dispel rumors. The shot clip, however, will be the only video of the shooting to be publicly released by the city, official said last week. While the released video appears to show Idd shooting at officers before they return fire, but many questions remain. Here’s what we know so far the shooting death of Dolal Idd and what has happened since then.
President Trump tells Georgia election officials: "Find" votes to overturn election results. Ahead of this week when Congress will officially announce the winner of the president election, President Donald Trump pressured Georgia's Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state. According to a recording of the conversation, the outgoing president repeatedly cites disproven claims of fraud, saying “all I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have ... because we won the state." Georgia counted its votes three times before certifying Biden's win by a 11,779 margin. 🎧 Tune in to stay informed and connected. Here's what's coming up on MPR News today. — Jiwon Choi, MPR News | 