Friday 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  ....34 POSITIVE OUT OF 1,924 TOTAL TESTS....THATS 1.7 PERCENT - THE LOWEST WE'VE SEEN IN WEEKS............SECOND, THE HOSPITALIZED NUMBER IS UP 2 AT 30... THIRD THE DEATH COUNT .... unchanged AT 19....FOR THE 3RD STRAIGHT DAY... .......OF THE 34 TO TEST POSITIVE, CASS COUNTY HAD 21  .......458 HAVE RECOVERED, THAT'S UP 21 ....

IN MINNESOTA - 492 POSITIVE OUT OF A SAMPLE SIZE OF 3500.....AT 14 PERCENT THAT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE  7 AND 14 DAY AVERAGE.... .BUT THE 492 IS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF POSITIVES IN ANY SINGLE DAY YET....thursday's REPORT SHOWS 24 DEATHS  - ABOVE THE 7 AND 14 DAY AVERGES..........IN ALL, 343 AVE DIED........FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS....495 IN ALL - 130 IN ICU..........ABOUT 21-HUNDRED HAVE HAD THE VIRUS AND RECOVERED....IN CLAY COUNTY. ONE FATALITY REPORTED Thursday ..... an 80 year old female who lived in a long term care facility........11 IN ALL HAVE DIED in clay county... MOST IN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES...157 TOTAL CASES..

IN SOUTH DAKOTA -....4 NEW DEATHS - THE HIGHST IN ANY DAY YET NOW A TOTAL OF 17.....ABOUT 70  NEW CASES....2,449 IN ALL....THAT'S RIGHT AT THE 7 AND 14 DAY AVERAGES....76 ARE HOSPITALIZED, EVEN FROM the day before....AND NEARLY 16-HUNDRED HAVE RECOVERED, UP ABOUT A HUNDRED.

ACROSS THE U-S.....ABOUT 22-HUNDRED reported dead yesterday.....IT'S BEEN A VERY CONSISTENT NUMBER OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 2 DAYS OVER THE WEEKEND......JUST OVER 63-THOUSAND HAVE DIED.......ABOUT 15-THOUSAND ARE HOSPITALIZED .....ONE DISCOURAGING TREND - MORE THAN 30-THOUSAND NEW CASES REPORTED THURSDAY THATS WELL OVER THE 7 AND 14 DAY AVERAGES....

ACROSS THE WORLD DOCTORS SAY 234-THOUSAND ARE DEAD ......UP 6-THOUSAND FROM DAY BEFORE.....AND A HIGHLIGHT THIS MORNING...MORE THAN ONE MILLION PEOPLE AREOUND THE WORLD HAVE HAD THE VIRUS AND RECOVERED....

ON THE TRENDLINE THIS MORNING......

HERES SOMETHING TO BE READY FOR IN MN.....The number of positives is expected to increase significantly as Minnesota begins to test more people under an initiative announced last week to test as many as 20,000 Minnesotans per day. Last week, state officials said anyone with COVID-19-like symptoms should be able to get tested. Previously, tests had been limited to specific populations whose results mattered most for public health.

HERE ARE YOUR FRIDAY MORNING HEADLINES -

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ EXTENDED THE statewide stay-at-home order FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS....HE DID ANNOUNCE THE BUSINESS OPENINGS THURSDAY HE'D BEEN PROMISING FOR THE LAST WEEK....IT WASN'T BARS, RESTAURANTS, SHOPPING MALLS, OR EVEN THE BOOKSTORE AISLES....BUT HE DID OFFER flexibility allowing retailers to reopen with curbside pickup or delivery for customers.....SOT

WALZ SAYS THE decision will put 30,000 Minnesotans in retail businesses back to work....SENATE MAJORITY LEADER PAUL GAZELKA SAID IT'S NOT ENOUGH....QUOTE -- I think he should move further, and faster, opening businesses up again....

Sen. Karin Housley, R-St. Marys Point, advocated for more tailored restrictions that focus on protecting and testing residents of long-term care facilities and others at highest risk....SAYING QUOTE - “I don’t know why the whole state has to be on stay-at-home when we should be quarantining and testing those people in long-term care facilities if that’s where the hot spots are,”

Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, said easing Minnesota’s stay-at-home order for retailers “is a step in the right direction” but he particularly worried about summer resort owners who are wondering if they can keep their bookings and retain staff.

THE STAR TRIBUNE REPORTS THAT MOST MINNESOTANS WHO HAVE DIED IN LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES HAVE HAD UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS.... one-third had heart conditions, with 20% of them affected by high blood pressure. About 13% were diabetic and 12% had kidney disease. Of the 343 deaths so far, 271 involved residents in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

HOSPITALS ACROSS THE STATE REMAIN CLOSED FOR ELECTIVE PROCEDURES....WALZ HINTED THAT HE MAY SOON OPEN THEM....as long as their supplies of personal protective equipment such as masks are stable.

NORTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM IS ASKING FOR A LITTLE NORTH DAKOTA NICE TO GO ALONG WITH NORTH DAKOTA SMART......BURGUM'S ORDER EXPIRES AT 8 AM TODAY THAT LIMITS RESTAURANTS, BARS, GYMS, AND SALONS FROM HOSTING CUSTOMERS ON SITE.....BUT BURGUM ENCOURAGED CUSTOMERS WHENEVER POSSIBLE TO WEAR A MASK IF YOU GO....NOT SO MUCH FOR YOU, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THOSE PLACES.....SOT...

North Dakota has checked the eighth criteria box FOR THE GOVERNOR TO OPEN THOSE STATE BUSINESSES - THE BOX OF providing protection for the most vulnerable....HE SAYS THE TESTING CAPABILITIES AND PROTOCOLS FOR ENTRY  INTO SENIOR CARE FACILITIES ARE NOW THERE TO MEET THE NEEDED LEVEL OF PROTECTION...

NOT EVERYONE WILL BE REOPENING TODAY….MEZZALUNA OWNER TAYLOR SNELLING TELLS WZFG RADIO THAT HE’LL REMAIN CLOSED OUT OF CONCERN FOR HIS EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS….HE TOLD THE NIGHTLY REVIEW THURSDAY THAT HE’LL BE TALKING WITH OTHER RESTAURANT OWNERS TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE LEARNING AND OPEN AT A LATER DATE….HE SAYS THEY ARE ALSO DOING SOME REPAIRS TO THE RESTAURANT AND THEY’RE NOT YET COMPLETE…

THE FORUM REPORTS THAT....Vinyl Taco, Herd & Horns and The Boiler Room in Fargo will be opening back up TODAY under the new rules…..BUT The Red Pepper and Rhombus Guys in Grand Forks have chosen to remain closed to the public, citing concerns for the safety of their workers and customers....A spokeswoman for Marcus Theatres, which has two locations in Fargo, said the businesses will not open up WHEN ALLOWED TO ON FRIDAY.  NO DATE WAS GIVEN AS TO A POSSIBLE REOPEN..

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo will begin public masses starting Monday…. Bishop John Folda said social distancing measures will be observed when mass resumes….Public masses were suspended on March 17 due to the coronavirus pandemic…..Some of the new restrictions will require parishioners, expect children under the age of two, to attend church with cloth face coverings.

VALLEY NEWS LIVE REPORTS THAT LOCAL HOSPITAL OFFICIALS ARE WORRIED THAT  people are putting off life-saving medical visits.....both Essentia Health and Sanford Hospital said they’re having a 30 to 40 percent decrease in patients stopping in to their emergency rooms, clinics, and urgent care.....THEREFORE, Non-COVID-19 patients are thus arriving to hospitals sicker.....ND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM SAYS IT'S TIME FOR NORTH DAKOTANS TO CALL THEIR HOSPITALS TO SCHEDULE ANYTHING THAT’S BEEN PUT OFF SINCE HOSPITALS NOW HAVE PLENTY OF CAPACITY FOR NON COVID CONCERNS…

ALSO YESTERDAY, North Dakota Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring says the state has passed the Ethanol Recovery Program....It will provide up to $15 million to any company, has a maximum buy down of $5,000; six months of deferred interest.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said Thursday they will soon require passengers to cover their faces during flights, following the lead of JetBlue Airways.

ON WALL STREET THURSDAY....THE DOW FINISHED DOWN 288 POINTS...BOTH THE SP500 AND THE NAZ WERE DOWN ABOUT 25 POINT.