Wed, Mar 18th, 2020 - 10:54am
March 17, 2020 - 11:11am | By Steve Hallstrom
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.
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TUESDAY MORNING C-19 UPDATE (8:00 AM)
STATISTICS -
As of RIGHT NOW, In the US...there have been 93 deaths....up 7 overnight, and up 27 in the last 24 hours....with 4,743 confirmed cases, about 1,000 more than this time yesterday....
In ND, the State DOH tells WZFG radio that still just the one case in Ward County....no deaths....and that individual is recovering at home and caught the virus traveling to the east coast...those numbers have not changed since Thursday......there are no people hospitalized in North Dakota right now.....25 people are being monitored...and 149 have been tested....148 were negative.
In Minnesota, 19 new positive tests Monday, and that led to the biggest story of the day on Monday ....that brings the total to 54 people have tested positive, but still no deaths.....the closest confirmed cases are in Stearns county - st. cloud area, where there are between 3 and 5 people who have tested positive....In hennepin county - minneapolis area there are now more than 20 positive tests... and almost 1900 people have been tested.
In South Dakota, one new positive test yesterday....that makes 10...they've had one death....and interesting note here....of those 10 people, there is at least one in their 20's, 30's, 40's. 50's. and 60's....
worldwide there are about 184,000 cases up about 15-thousand cases in the last 24 hours....7,180 deaths, that's up about 650 over the last 24 hours....the biggest number that's grown in the last 24 hours -- about 80,000 people have had the virus worldwide and have recovered......in china where this originated, there are now 3,226 deaths, and that's up about 20 in the last 24 hours........and ANOTHER DAY OF bad news in Italy where there have been 349 deaths in the last 24 hours after 368 the day before...
for comparison....the flu has killed about 12,000 people in the US since November 1, according to Centers for Disease Control.
HEADLINES -
MN GOVERNOR TIM WALZ AT 5:30 last night made a big announcement that will affect all of Minnesota including Moorhead businesses right here in the Metro....ANNOUNCED THAT ALL BARS AND RESTAURANTS WILL CLOSE FOR DINE-IN CUSTOMERS AT 5 PM TODAY....DELIVERY AND CARRYOUT IS STILL OK.....ALSO, THEATERS, MUSEUMS, AND FITNESS CENTERS ARE TO CLOSE, TO PREVENT THE SPREAD (UP TO 54 TODAY)...THOSE RULES WILL STAY IN EFFECT UNTIL MARCH 27.
SOME LOCAL RESTAURANTS ARE VOLUNTARILY CLOSING IN-HOUSE DINING. MULTIPLE MCDONALDS IN THE METRO ARE ONLY RUNNING DRIVE-THRU.
THE FIRST LOCKDOWN IN THE US WAS ORDERED MONDAY .....officials in six San Francisco Bay Area counties issued a sweeping shelter-in-place mandate Monday affecting nearly 7 million people, ordering residents to stay at home and go outside only for food, medicine and outings that are absolutely essential.
PRESIDENT trump on ON MONDAY released guidelines that called for people to avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people, steer clear of eating and drinking at bars, restaurants and food courts, avoid recreational travel, and work or attend school from home whenever possible
CLOSER TO HOME, Fargo (starting Wednesday) and West Fargo Public Schools (today) will provide free meals for children while school buildings themselves remain closed...Meals will be provided via a drive-thru or walk-up process.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney, along with West Fargo Commission President Bernie Dardis, Moorhead Mayor Jonathan Judd, and Cass County Commission Chairman Chad Peterson, SIGNED emergency declarations this afternoon in a proactive approach to combatting the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The emergency declaration authorizes the agencies to manage resources, loosen restrictions, and seek funding assistance from the state and federal governments....
West Fargo Police Department won’t be offering fingerprinting or car seat checks to the general public until further notice. Fingerprinting for medical personnel will still be available on a case by case basis.
all West Fargo Fire Department locations are closed to the public until further notice. Signs are posted at each station’s public entrance with instructions on how to call for assistance. Emergency response is continuing 24/7.
The ND supreme court's Jury trials will be suspended through April 24,
The Fargo Marathon has been postponed, moving from May 9 to August 29th....
Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner says they could release low-risk inmates to make room at the county jail, is limiting visitors and established new protocols for screening incoming inmates, and suspending some programs that allow inmates to come and go.
Marcus Theatres has announced it will temporarily be implementing new social distancing seating arrangements that will reduce the number of seats by about 50%
Hornbacher's and Cash Wise stores that normally operate on a 24-hour schedule are closing at night to allow for cleaning and restocking of shelves....Stores will now operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
West Acres mall will be open limited hours, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no early open hours for walkers. It is also removing seating in the food court.
Essentia Health has issued a series of visitor guidelines, most of them limiting to essential visitors one at a time
the CDC is issuing a scam alert... Cybercriminals have sent phishing emails designed to look like they’re from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The email might falsely claim to link to a list of coronavirus cases in your area
The US Senate convenes today to look at the coronavirus relief bill passed by the house
Ohio's governor has cancelled a big primary election set for today
The Kentucky Derby has been postponed until september.....and the April NFL draft will be held, but with teams staying at their own team facilities and sending their picks to the league office.
