Wednesday Morning C-19 Update

NOTE - Below is a radio-friendly notepad used on the Need To Know Morning Show on AM1100 The Flag WZFG.  Spelling, punctuation, etc are not edited.

HERE ARE THE KEY NUMBERS THIS MORNING.....

IN NORTH DAKOTA.... the 3 NUMBERS WE'RE WATCHING -- FIRST THE POSITIVE RATE  ....49 POSITIVE OUT OF 1,289 TOTAL TESTS....THATS 3.8 PERCENT - below the 7 DAY AVERAGE..........SECOND, THE HOSPITALIZED NUMBER IS UP 2 FROM YESTERDAY AT 25.... THIRD THE DEATH COUNT .... unchanged AT 19 .......OF THE 49 TO TEST POSITIVE, CASS COUNTY HAD 41 .......409 HAVE RECOVERED, THAT'S UP 59 FROM YESTERDAY....

IN MINNESOTA - 365 POSITIVE OUT OF A SAMPLE SIZE OF 2,550.....AT 14.3 PERCENT THAT'S ABOVE THE 7 DAY AVERAGE, AND THE 365 IS THE HIGHEST NUMBER YET BY ABOUT 50 PERCENT... .TUESDAY’S REPORT SHOWS  15 DEATHS AFTER 14 ON MONDAY - WELL BELOW THE 7 DAY AVERAGE..........IN ALL, 301 AVE DIED........194 ARE HOSPITALIZED -- ANOTHER 120 IN ICU.......ABOUT 19-HUNDRED HAVE HAD THE VIRUS AND RECOVERED....IN CLAY COUNTY....10 IN ALL HAVE DIED, MOST IN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES...25 HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED AND 48 HAVE RECOVERED....

IN SOUTH DAKOTA -.....NO NEW DEATHS - NOW A TOTAL OF 11.....ABOUT 60  NEW CASES....2,313 IN ALL....THAT'S RIGHT AT THE 7 AND 14 DAY AVERAGES....69 ARE HOSPITALIZED, UP 8  FROM THE DAY BEFORE.....AND NEARLY 14-HUNDRED HAVE RECOVERED, UP ABOUT A HUNDRED.

ACROSS THE U-S.....ABOUT 24-HUNDRED NEW DEATHS -- RETURNING TO THE TYPICAL COUNTS FROM THE LAST 10 DAYS....MORE ON THAT IN A MINUTE...JUST OVER 59-THOUSAND HAVE DIED.......NEARLY 15-THOUSAND ARE HOSPITALIZED .....THERE WERE 23-THOUSAND NEW CASES TUESDAY….AND THAT PUTS THE NUMBER OF TOTAL CASES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO MORE THAN A MILLION….....

ACROSS THE WORLD DOCTORS SAY 217-THOUSAND ARE DEAD ......UP 6-THOUSAND....950-THOUSAND HAVE RECOVERED....70K NEW RECOVERIES TUESDAY, ABOVE THE 7 AND 14 DAY AVERAGES.

ON THE TRENDLINE THIS MORNING......

US DEATH TRENDS....WE HAD BEEN SEEING ABOUT 22-HUNDRED A DAY FOR THE LAST 10 DAYS....BUT OVER THE WEEKEND WE HAD ONLY 12-HUNDRED.....TYPICAL OF WEEKEND REPORTING THAT RUNS LOWER...AND SO WHEN TUESDAY WENT HIGHER IT WASN'T A SURPRISE, BUT IF THAT SAME TREND WAS INTACT, WE'D HAVE SEEN WELL OVER 3-THOUSAND POSITIVES, AND THE NUMBER WAS 23-HUNDRED...WE'LL SEE WHAT TOMORROW LOOKS LIKE BUT IF WE'RE ANYWHERE NEAR TUESDAY'S NUMBER TODAY IT WOULD BE A VERY ENCOURAGING 4-DAY TREND.

HOWEVER THE OVERALL DEATH COUNT HAS NOW PASSED THE 58-THOUSAND MARK - THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS KILLED IN THE VIETNAM WAR…

THE U-S HOSPITALIZED NUMBER WAS  UP 600 BUT STILL BELOW THE 7 AND 14 DAY AVERAGE..

THE STATE OF MN HAS NOW SEEN 4,181 LAB CONFIRMED CASES OF THE VIRUS..., doubling the amount that had been reported 11 days ago.

HERE ARE YOUR TUESDAY MORNING HEADLINES -

ND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM'S COMMERCE CHAIR MICHELLE KOMMER MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TUESDAY OF THE NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS FOR ND COMPANIES WHO HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN OR LIMITED, LIKE BARS-REST-GYMS-SALONS-MASSAGE AND TATTOO....EACH SECTOR GOT IT'S OWN SET OF GUIDELINES, BUT ALL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF SOCIAL SPACING AND SANITATION........SOT

NEW RESTAURANT GUIDELINES INCLUDE....

• Capacity will be limited to 50% of normal 

• Allow for six feet of spacing between groups: increase table spacing by removing tables, marking tables closed or provide a physical barrier between tables. Back to back booth seating is allowed.

• Waiting areas (indoor or outdoor) must be marked so physical distancing standards are met. Restaurants can determine policy for wait areas. 

• Drink refills are not allowed unless served in a clean unused glass or cup.

• Menus should be single use paper or on a material that can be sanitized after each use.

• No self-service cups, straws or lids will be allowed – they should be behind counter and handed to customer. Only individually wrapped straws are allowed.

BURGUM REPEATED TUESDAY THAT HE INTENDS TO LET HIS CURRENT EXECUTIVE ORDER EXPIRE TOMORROW, BARRING SOMETHING UNFORESEEN....THE NEW GUIDELINES WILL BE PART OF A NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT FRIDAY.

Burgum said an executive order he will sign TODAY will clarify which of the protocols are guidelines and which are mandatory. Any violations of the executive order would carry the prospect of a $1,000 fine, but Burgum said he thinks enforcement will be needed only in “rare” cases because PEOPLE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE…. Enforcement would be handled "locally,

FARGO MAYOR TIM MAHONEY TELLS WZFG RADIO THAT HE BELIEVES THE CITY CAN GET TO A PHASE 2 LEVEL OF PROGRESS TOWARD FULL REOPENING IN THE NEXT 2-3 WEEKS….HE ALSO SAID ON LAST NIGHT’S CITY OF FARGO TALK RADIO TOWN HALL THAT TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO RESTART SCHOOLS, AND THAT CITY leaders are preparing to reopen City Hall on Monday.....

SPEAKING OF SCHOOLS, GRAND FORKS SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS SAY THEY ARE PREPARED IF SCHOOLS REOPEN IN MAY….THE GF HERALD REPORTS THAT SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION KIRSTEN BAESLER HAS BEEN ASKED BY GOVERNOR BURGUM TO GIVE DIRECTION ON THAT TOMORROW...SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ASKED TO GIVE DIRECTION BY MAY 15TH…

ALSO TUESDAY, THE ND DEPT OF HEALTH CELEBRATED 2 COVID PATIENTS WHO HAVE RECOVERED DUE TO THE USE OF DONOR PLASMA....THE PLASMA CONTAINED ANTIBODIES THAT HELPED THE TWO RECOVER....THEY WERE HOSPITALIZED IN BISMARCK....PLASMA TREATMENTS ARE BEING USED NOW AT A NUMBER OF HOSPITALS AROUND THE STATE....

THE NEW YORK TIMES SAYS FARGO IS ONE OF THE 15 metropolitan areas with the greatest potential to emerge as A COVID 19 hot spot....FARGO LANDED #14 ON THE LIST AFTER THE PROJECTIONS SHOWED THAT confirmed cases in Fargo will double every WEEK

MN GOVERNOR TIM WALZ HOSTED A DISTINGUISHED GUEST AT THE MAYO CLINIC TUESDAY.....VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE PAID A VISIT TO SEE THE TESTING CAPABILITIES THAT MINNESOTA IS IMPLEMENTING THROUGH THE MAYO CLINIC....THERE HAS BEEN FRICTION BETWEEN THE GOV AND THE WHITE HOUSE BUT WALZ COMPLIMENTED BOTH PENCE AND TRUMP FOR HELPING WORK THROUGH THE ISSUES OF THE PANDEMIC.......SOT

PENCE DREW SHARP CRITICISM FOR NOT WEARING A FACE MASK, WHICH EVERY OTHER PERSON PHOTOGRAPHED DID.....PENCE SAID HE FELT HE WAS GOOD SINCE HE IS TESTED REPEATEDLY FOR THE VIRUS AS ARE OTHERS WHO HE COMES IN CONTACT WITH.....THE MAYO CLINIC'S RULES STATE ALL VISITORS MUST WEAR A MASK....PENCE DID NOT SAY IF HE WAS AWARE OF THE RULE.....

2 NORTH DAKOTA MEN HAVE BEEN CHARGED IN MINNESOTA FOR VIOLATING THE STATE'S STAY AT HOME ORDER...A total of 44 people, MOST MINNESOTANS, HAVE BEEN CHARGED....ONE OF THE NORTH DAKOTANS IS FROM FARGO, THE OTHER FROM HORACE....LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS NOT RELEASED THE NATURE OF THE OFFENSES OR WHY THEY WERE CITED....

Minnesota HIGHER ED OFFICIALS TOLD LAWMAKERS IN ST. PAUL TUESDAY THAT THEY ARE STILL PLANNING ON SOME SORT OF FALL SEMESTER, BUT they are still grappling with the question of how to safely hold in-person classes during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  Potential solutions range from the use of larger classrooms that allow for social distancing, they said, to a heavier reliance on web-based teaching tools.

President Trump SAID TUESDAY THAT HE will use the Defense Production Act to keep pork, beef and poultry processing plants open....THIS COMES as at least 20 plants across the country have been shuttered temporarily by outbreaks of COVID-19 THREATENING THE FOOD SUPPLY....Details of how THE PRESIDENT intends to IMPLEMENT THE ASSISTANCE WERE NOT RELEASED....AND SAID MORE GUIDANCE WOULD COME LATER THIS WEEK....

AND MODEST LOSSES ON WALL STREET TUESDAY, THE DOW WAS DOWN 32 - SP 15 - NAS 122...OIL UP A DOLLAR AT 13.38.