July 31 Ward 7 Updates
Friday, July 31, 2020 at 1:47PM
COVID-19 Situation Update as of July 29, 2020
- There are 6,751 cases in Minneapolis and 196 deaths. The City is sharing Minneapolis-specific daily case counts and demographics through a public dashboard at www.minneapolismn.gov/coronavirus/dashboard.
- The Health Department is using the Harvard Global Health Institute's COVID-19 Risk Levels dashboard (https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/). This color-coded metric looks at a seven day rolling average for new cases. Based on the latest data, Minneapolis is at 18 cases per 100,000 compared to 11 cases per 100,000 for the State. These numbers put both Minneapolis and Minnesota in the orange category, which represents accelerated spread of COVID-19.
- Case numbers for the past two weeks show that six Minneapolis neighborhoods (Central, East Phillips, Elliot Park, Jordan, Lowry Hill, and Whittier) have seen increased case counts which correlate with case increases in the under 35 year-old age group. Data also indicate a slight increase in cases among the 35-44 year-old age group.
- Over the past few weeks, the racial breakdown for the under 35 year-old age group has shifted from over 50% white to about 30% white and 60% BIPOC. This group is experiencing increased exposure in bars and at gatherings of friends and family.
- Congregate living facilities in Minneapolis continue to see new cases among residents, but the numbers have decreased significantly, from an average of 49 cases a week in April and May to six cases a week in June and July. Residents of these facilities account for only 7% of confirmed cases, however they account for 71% of COVID-19 deaths.
- Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 12 regarding masks is still in effect. The regulation requires people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places. Last week, the Mayor rescinded Emergency Regulation No. 15 and No. 16 which allowed Adult Day Cares to reopen and eased operational restrictions in licensed congregate care settings. These facilities are beholden to state COVID-19 guidance.
- Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17, signed July 29, 2020, requires all bar areas in restaurants, nightclubs, and indoor spaces of entertainment in Minneapolis to be closed starting August 1. Bar areas that can be converted for seated service will be allowed as long as food and/or beverage services are provided tableside while patrons are seated. The goal is to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among young adults, food service workers, and bartenders. Nine Minneapolis bars have been publicly identified as having outbreaks associated with spread among patrons.
Situational updates: Minnesota
- There are 52,947 cases in Minnesota out of over 993,000 tests completed. There have been 1,589 deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota. There are 16,881 cases and 810 deaths in Hennepin County.
- Minnesota is currently in Phase III of the Stay Safe MN plan for reopening. This phase allows bars and restaurants to offer indoor dining at 50% capacity with tables spaced six feet apart. Further restrictions at bars are currently in effect in Minneapolis (see above: Mayor Frey’s Emergency Regulation No. 17). Pools may open at 50% capacity and gyms may open at 25% capacity.
- Governor Walz’s statewide mask mandate is still in effect. This requires people to wear face coverings in all indoor public places where people gather and some outdoor venues where physical distancing is difficult.
Health Incident Command Updates
As the MHD continues to respond to COVID-19, we are applying an equity lens to all our work in conjunction with partners across the City enterprise.
Businesses:
o Health inspectors have completed 569 site visit/inspections since indoor dining reopened on June 10. Bars continue to have clusters of positive COVID-19 cases. Health inspectors continue to provide guidance and cleaning instructions to bars with COVID-19-positive employees and patrons. Additionally, inspectors are reviewing COVID-19 plans during all routine health inspections.
o The Health Department is assisting with a joint business recovery effort to distribute 500,000 masks to businesses, prioritizing distribution to BIPOC-owned businesses and those located in BIPOC communities. CPED is leading this effort in partnership with the Mayor’s office, Regulatory Services, and Health.
o In response to requests from business owners, Health Department and Communications staff created new signage clearly stating that the City requires masks in indoor public spaces. Signage is available on the City’s COVID-19 website in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.
Case investigations:
The Health Department is conducting over 50 case investigations and contact follow-ups for individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 per day. Currently, there are 26 investigators, including six non-MHD enterprise staff. Of the 6,751 cases in Minneapolis, 85% have been interviewed, 2% have refused, 8% have been lost to follow-up, and 5% are new cases that still need to be interviewed. Thirty (30) percent of interviews of Minneapolis residents are in a language other than English. The MHD team has conducted 53% of the interviews for Minneapolis residents since May 8.
Community Testing:
o Sagrado Corazon/Incarnation Church: Community testing will be offered from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 1 and 15 at Sagrado Corazon/Incarnation Church, 3800 Pleasant Avenue South. This community testing event will focus on the Latinx community; however, it will be open to everyone. The goal is to test 300 persons per day during the 8 hours that testing will be available. Partners include Sagrado Corazon/Incarnation Church, Hennepin Healthcare, the Minneapolis Health Department, and St. Mary’s Health Clinics.
o PICA Head Start: Testing will be available on August 11 and 25 primarily for Head Start families at both the Fraser site (700 Humboldt Avenue North) and the McKnight site (4225 3rd Avenue South). Testing for the community will also be available. Partners include PICA Head Start, the Minneapolis Health Department, and the Minnesota Department of Health.
o The Health Department’s Long Term Care team supported baseline testing at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s Heritage Park site for their assisted living residents on July 23.
Food security:
o The Health Department continues to co-host a weekly free food distribution event at Powderhorn Park (Fridays, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.). The event regularly serves approximately 500-800 people, many from low-income Latinx households that have been heavily impacted by loss of employment, COVID-19, and the closure of retailers along Lake Street. City staff will continue to support this event at least through the end of August and are in the process of assessing long-term food security needs, operations, and options, especially in light of the elimination of a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit.
o Health Department staff, in partnership with other City staff and community partners, are convening calls and conducting outreach with community-led “pop-up” food distribution hosts, The goal is to assess real-time needs, gather feedback on ongoing food security challenges in specific communities and related policy implications, and connect groups to available resources such as PPE and Hennepin County funds. MHD staff continue to coordinate with food banks and other hunger relief organizations to identify, implement, and support food-related community needs.
Homelessness:
o The encampment located on City property at 2601 14th Avenue South was disbanded on Wednesday, July 29. The Police Department’s Homeless Outreach team and community partner, American Indian Community Development Corporation, worked together to clear the property. People living at the encampment were given one week’s notice of this action and were provided with resources for available shelter. Immediately after the property is cleared, CPED and Public Works will fence in the property to prevent future encampments from forming.
o The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board designated the following as sanctuary parks: Riverside, Annie Young, Marshall Terrace, Lake Harriet, Boom Island, and Bde Maka Ska. An additional four to six parks will be named based on proximity to hygiene supports. Park encampments must obtain a permit and cannot have more than 25 tents. Encampments will not be allowed in Safe School Zones. The Health Department continues to work with MPRB to provide health and sanitation services at encampments on park land. Last week, MHD staff provided guidance on the potential environmental impacts and hygiene safety of “pop-up” showers that have appeared at some encampments.
o MHD staff continue to distribute harm reduction supplies, masks, and hygiene kits to community outreach partners for distribution to residents of various encampments.
Personal Protective Equipment: The Health Department is continuing PPE resource distribution efforts. In the past week, MHD staff have distributed over 2,200 cloth masks in response to requests from the community. In fulfilling those requests, staff are balancing the needs of clinics and health care providers with the needs of low-income individuals, BIPOC communities, low-income multi-family housing properties, faith communities, people experiencing homelessness, community-based organizations, food distribution sites, and people engaged in recovery efforts. The Health Department recently received an additional 50,000 cloth masks, which will help in responding to ongoing community requests.
- The City specific COVID email address is: COVID19@minneapolismn.gov.
Polling Places Changing Due to Pandemic
To help keep voters and Minneapolis residents safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, 50 of 125 polling places in Minneapolis are moving for the 2020 primary and general election. The changes will help protect people living in residential facilities and provide more space to keep voters a safe distance from elections staff and each other.
Of the 50 polling places being relocated, 16 were in senior homes, high-rises and other residential sites. Another 32 were in areas with limited space that would make it difficult for people to keep at least 6 feet from others inside. Two were moved due to on-site construction.
Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services partnered with Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation board to find new locations for voting during the pandemic. In total, 94 buildings will be open for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections, with 35 in schools and 22 in park buildings. Some buildings will have more than one voting precinct.
Registered voters will receive a postcard in the mail indicating their new polling locations. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s polling place finder can also provide voters their new polling places. These locations will be the same for the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general elections. All voters choosing to vote in person on Election Day should check the online polling place finder or call 311 to verify their polling place.
Keep safe and vote by mail
Though polling locations will be open for the primary and general elections, the City encourages voting early by mail to minimize direct contact with others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages voting early by mail, and Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services supports this and other CDC and Minnesota Department of Health recommendations to make sure all voters in Minneapolis can safely cast their ballots this election year.
More information on how to vote by mail is available at vote.minneapolismn.gov/voters/bymail.
For those going to the polls on Election Day, we will have COVID-19 protocols in place to provide a safe and healthy environment for all voters and election judges. The polling place protocols follow best practices from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the protocols follow Emergency Regulation 2020-12, which requires people in Minneapolis to wear a cloth face covering when they are in an indoor public space.
Voting at the Early Vote Center
The Early Vote Center, 980 E. Hennepin Ave., makes early voting in person more convenient for Minneapolis voters. It’s especially helpful to people who need language support or other special accommodations, such as curbside voting. And while we are in a pandemic, voting early can help people avoid lines and crowds at polling places on the day of the election.
The Early Vote Center’s hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. The center will also have Saturday hours for the last two weekends before the primary. All early voting hours are posted on the Elections & Voter Services website: vote.minneapolismn.gov/events.
EVS Headquarters—located at 980 E. Hennepin Avenue—will be open to serve in-person early voters both Saturdays (Aug. 1 and 8) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Direct Balloting begins Tues., Aug. 4, allowing in-person early voters to directly scan their completed ballot into the tabulator…exactly as on Election Day. New this year, in light of the need for enhanced safety protocols, EVS will be hosting “drive-in, drop-off” ballot service, as shown on this graphic.
Next Steps for Proposed Charter Amendment that Would Create New Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention
The Minneapolis Charter Commission has held three public hearings to gather feedback on a proposed charter amendment establishing a new Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention authored by five City Council members. A decision on whether that proposal will be referred to voters at the Nov. 3 general election must be decided by Aug. 5 to meet statutory deadlines.
The proposed Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention would have responsibility for “public safety services prioritizing a holistic, public health-oriented approach,” according to the proposed amendment. As a charter department, the director would be nominated by the mayor and approved by the City Council. The director would have non-law enforcement experience in community safety services, including but not limited to public health and/or restorative justice approaches.
The ordinance provides that the City may maintain a division of law enforcement services composed of licensed peace officers subject to the supervision of the Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention.
The City Council voted June 26 to advance the proposal as a ballot measure to be considered by Minneapolis voters. Under State law, proposals to amend the City Charter must first be reviewed by the City Charter Commission. The Charter Commission has at least 60 days to complete its review and submit its recommendation to the City Council but it may take up to 150 days to complete its review. The statutory deadline for submitting questions on the Nov. 3 general election ballot is Friday, Aug. 21. If approved by voters, the changes would become effective May 1, 2021. A decision by the Charter Commission is anticipated at its regular meeting on Aug. 5.
The Charter Commission also held a public hearing on a separate proposed charter amendment that proposed to eliminate minimum funding level requirements for the police force. That proposal was submitted by a Charter Commission member. At its meeting July 29, the Charter Commission voted not to submit that proposal to voters in November.
Learn more about the proposed charter amendment and submit feedback.
City Council Adopts Revised 2020 City Budget
The City Council has approved Mayor Jacob Frey’s revised 2020 City budget proposal that addresses roughly $156 million in projected revenue losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mayor and City Council have trimmed the budget through a combination of spending freezes, use of cash reserves, program cuts and employee furloughs. The revised City budget is approximately $1.5 billion.
The first phase of the response to the economic impact of the pandemic included spending and hiring freezes that saved approximately $58 million. The revised budget plan includes plans to offset approximately $100 million in additional revenue losses.
As part of the City Council’s budget markup process, approximately $1.1 million has been shifted from the Minneapolis Police Department to the Health Department for violence prevention efforts. In addition, the City added $100,000 to the budget to support initial community engagement in the co-creation of a vision for a permanent memorial for George Floyd.
The mayor will present a recommended 2021 City budget to the City Council later this summer. Learn more about the City budget at minneapolismn.gov/budget.http://tour.35wat94.com/
Mayor Frey Moves to Curb COVID-19 Community Spread in Bars and Restaurants
Mayor Jacob Frey has issued an emergency regulation that targets the community spread of COVID-19 in Minneapolis bars and restaurants.
The action orders the closure of bar areas in restaurants, clubs and other indoor spaces starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 1. Indoor table service, including at high tops, will be allowed under the regulation as long as patrons follow the existing state guidance.
The Minneapolis Health Department is reporting a rate of 18 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 per day while the statewide rate has remained closer to 11 per 100,000. Public health experts have attributed the higher rate to people congregating at bars, among other reasons. More than 50 percent of new cases in Minneapolis continue to be in young adults under age 35 who report increased exposure in bars and at gatherings of friends and family.
Read more about the emergency regulation.
National Night Out Recommended Date Changes to Sept. 15 for 2020
The Minneapolis recommended National Night Out date for 2020 is Tuesday, Sept. 15. Residents can find out if their block is already signed up by emailing crime.prevention@minneapolismn.gov. Registered block leaders received notices directly about closing their streets to hold their event, but a block without a block leader could still hold a COVID-19 safe event by spreading out across three or four yards to make enough space for physical distancing.
Event safety in a pandemic
A safe event during a pandemic follows guidelines from the Minneapolis Health Department, Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Events are outdoors.
- People keep their masks on when they’re not eating or drinking.
- People keep at least 6 feet from others not in their household.
- Households bring their own food, beverages, utensils, tables and chairs.
National Night Out is an annual nationwide event that encourages residents to get out in the community, holding block parties and getting to know their neighbors to prevent crime. It’s a great way to promote community-police partnerships and enjoy a Minnesota summer evening surrounded by friends and family.
Find out more about National Night Out.
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Parkways Reopening to Motor Traffic
All Minneapolis parkways closed to motor vehicle traffic and open to trail users will go back to allowing motor vehicle traffic by Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Schedule
- East Bde Maka Ska Parkway: Thursday, July 30.
- Cedar Lake, Lake Harriet, West Bde Maka Ska and West River Parkways: Barriers and traffic control will be removed starting Monday, Aug. 3.
The funds for parkway closures to allow more space for trail users to follow physical distancing practices and limit the spread of COVID-19 will be exhausted by Aug. 3.
Please continue to follow these safety guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 while using parks and trails:
- Stay at least 6 feet from people not in your own household.
- Do not use parks if you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.
- Cover your cough with your elbow, don’t cough into your hands.
- Wash your hands immediately before and after visiting a park or trail.
- Note that most MPRB water fountains are not operational, and most MPRB restroom buildings remain closed.
