One Minnesota school district canceled classes Friday over concerns about the coronavirus and the Minnesota House canceled all meetings through the weekend.
The Robbinsdale Area School District in suburban Minneapolis said it canceled classes and other activities for the day “out of an abundance of caution” after a parent came in contact with someone who tested positive for the new coronavirus. The district said the parent did not have symptoms, but was in the Forest Elementary gymnasium on Wednesday when students were being picked up.
The number of confirmed Minnesota cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, stood at nine as of Friday morning.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of victims recover.
Gov. Tim Walz scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference to announce “community mitigation strategies” in response to the outbreak.
Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman notified members and staff Thursday night that there would be no meetings or hearings until after the House floor session at 11 a.m. Monday. Fridays are normally quiet days at the Capitol, but the order resulted in the cancellation of four hearings.
The speaker and the three other legislative leaders issued a statement saying they’ll continue discussions through the weekend about the agenda for the 2020 session in light of the virus, but that no decisions had been made about restricting access to the Capitol. Congress closed the U.S. Capitol complex to the public on Thursday.
The Minnesota Republican and Democratic parties said they would postpone their upcoming local and congressional district conventions for the next few weeks. Democrats went even further, saying the party was working on scheduling “virtual conventions,” limiting attendance at official party events, and closing its party headquarters to the public through May 1.———
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