Thread by @Stowydad

It's distance learning from here on out, @govtimwalz is announcing this hour. Not sure whether we'll hear about the fall return, but I know it's on your mind (and mine).

"It seems almost unimaginable it's been four weeks since our stay-at-home order. Minnesotans have done what was asked of them as well as anyone in the country," Walz says.

Walz says Minnesotans still exhibiting "hopefulness."

"Minnesota has handled this in a very Minnesota way. We stayed home with social distancing; we flattened the curve. We brought businesses and government together to build partnerships. ... You've bought us time."

"We learn every day about this virus. Sometimes we get good news, sometimes we get news that's not so good."

Walz says the sheer numbers of positive cases will undoubtedly go up significantly in the weeks ahead as more testing is brought on line.

"The real critical piece is how many lives we save and how well our hospital system" handles it.

"Everything we do has a tradeoff. That's the way it is."

"It is very difficult to be happy when you're afraid of losing your business. It is very difficult to be happy when you're wondering how you pay your rent."

Walz: No changes to May 4 stay at home order.

Walz has two new exec orders this hour: One on schools and one on biz.

I'll tweet links shortly.

The business order: "All workers who can work from home must do so" but industrial and manufacturing businesses without customer-facing retail can resume.

Additional workplace return guidance will be here: mn.gov/deed/newscente…

As part of the business executive order, Department of Labor and Industry "may penalize businesses that retaliate against employees who raise safety and health concerns."

Violations can bring "civil penalties up to $25,000 per occurrence from businesses and injunctive relief"

Here is the "safe workplaces" executive order: documentcloud.org/documents/6876…

Here is the school year distance learning order: documentcloud.org/documents/6876…

Many asking about summer school. This is in the school order:

Commissioner will "create guidance for distance learning during the summer period, and, if possible per MDH recommendations, for summer learning that employs a hybrid model of distance learning and in-school learning"

And about the fall: "Upon recommendation from the Commissioner of Health, school districts and charter schools may begin their 2020-2021 school year based on their respectively approved school calendars."

Walz business plan centers on ability of worksites having proper supplies, monitoring, sanitizing.

From the order: "Beginning no sooner than April 26, 2020 at 11:59 pm, workers for Non-Critical Exempt Businesses, as defined in this Executive Order, may return to work."

Walz says while the Stay at Home order will remain through May 4, state is in a position to loosen it as the #covid19 situation comes under control and more testing allows for proactive steps to get after hotspots.

Walz to class of 2020 on lost rite-of-passage: "It feels like that's been taken and it has from you."

"You will not be defined by staying home and missing proms and missing graduations. you will be defined by understanding how interconnected our world is."

"There are places we say `wow' on this plan and places we say 'whoa,'" Walz says, pointing to inequities for social, racial or technological reasons. He promises a deep dive on those topics tomorrow.

Walz says there are 2.6m working Minnesotans. He says the order will allow 80k to 100k more people to return on Monday, if they're ready. Manufacturing, industrial and office settings.

That's in addition to the existing 'essential' on the job employees.

"Nothing we will do, we are guarded against this, puts you at a greater risk." If it does, Walz says the state will dial back.

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says part of today's 223 additional cases on Wednesday was due to higher volume of testing.

"As we test more, we're going to find more and that's the whole point," she says.

Of the 21 deaths (largest daily total), most are elderly.

Ages 50s to 90s.

20 of 21 were residents of long-term care facilities.

Malcolm says hospitalizations continue at a measured rate. She says that is expected to be bigger in the days ahead.

Smaller ICU numbers than prior, but no expectation that will continue.

DEED Commissioner @grove says the 536K in unemployment applications since this began in mid-March is now larger than the jobless claims during the Great Recession.

. @grove says the new executive order covers about 20,000 employers (80K-100K employees)

. @grove says businesses that reopen must have a #covid19 plan that hits several points, including that:
"Sick workers stay home no matter what."
"Social distancing practices are followed."

. @grove says no business is required to reopen and the state won't be asking businesses to submit these plans, but have them at the ready.

. @grove on the interplay between reopening and unemployment insurance: "For those who cannot go back to work, it's there. But if you're able to go back to work, you do need to do so. The state cannot pay unemployment insurance for those who are able to go back to work."

There are exceptions for dependent care or for people who are vulnerable to contracting #covid19.

Red Wing businessman Bob Riegelman of Riedell Skates: "We've done all that has been asked of us by our governor and we're extremely excited, almost to tears" that reopening is at hand.

"The Dial" -- get ready to hear those two words a lot. It's the @GovTimWalz visual aid to calibrate reopenings.

Questions: Should parents expect to the distance learning to continue into the NEXT school year?

Walz says, "The answer is I don't know yet on fall."

But he says it's on the radar and could result in a hybrid system.

Ed Commissioner @mcricker says her staff is thinking about it in terms of academics.

Some children will have lost ground and school staff will need to be ready to adjust to that.

Walz says an answer on fall classes will come "as soon as humanly possible."

Asked about the "falling behind" and learning accountability of students.

"I worry deeply on this. I mean these are decisions that will reverberate through a lifetime potentially. We know what educational research shows if you fall a grade or two behind," Walz says.

. @mcricker says some academic standards might have to be revisited in the fall.

Question on testing given that the added volume will lead to a case increase and how that relates to a 14-day decline standard by CDC.

Walz says he's not sure there's a "magic time" that the state must meet. He says Minnesota will have its own template that could relate to curve

"I want to remind Minnesotans: The hardest days are ahead. The climb is still up. We're not near that peak yet," Walz said.

Malcolm says the goal is to test all symptomatic people within 4 weeks.

Walz asked about the State Fair (given Fair director's full fair or no-Fair statement)

"This is important to Minnesota ... this pains me pains me pains me, the State Fair falls at the right of the dial."

"It's a pretty tough lift."
Difficult to see, but doesn't want to rule out

Malcolm says there's a CDC team in town this week to consult on long-term care settings given that it's where most of Minnesota's deaths have occurred.

Walz asked about Jennie-O infections. He defers to Malcolm and Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink.

Leppink says state has been making calls to all kinds of producers. She says "they need to slow lines. They need to sequence their shifts."

Leppink says her agency has received 175 claims to date for #covid19 related workers compensation.