Governor Tim Walz Enters Self Quarantine After Contact With COVID-19

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan's brother has also died of the virus and Senator Amy Klobuchar's husband has been hospitalized with COVID-19.

By
Kyle Hooten
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has entered self quarantine after contact with a person who has coronavirus.

Walz said that he’s entering self quarantine Monday morning via Twitter. Around the same time as the governor’s announcement, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan informed the public that her brother has died of coronavirus, and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar broke news that her husband has been hospitalized with the disease.

Minnesota also suffered its first in-state death from the virus on Saturday.

“After learning I had contact with someone who has COVID-19, I plan to lead by example and work from home,” Walz wrote. “I currently have no symptoms and will continue working tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19.”

Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan has also been personally impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic. Late Sunday night, she announced that her brother, Ron, succumbed to the virus in Tennessee amidst an ongoing fight with cancer that left his immune system in a weakened state, reports the Star Tribune.

RELATED: Governor Walz Says He’s “Prepared” To Issue Shelter In Place Orders

“To many, he’ll be a statistic: Tennessee’s second COVID-related death. But to me, I’ll remember a loving, older brother, uncle, father, and husband,” she wrote on Instagram in an emotional tribute to her deceased family member.

 

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Almost exactly two months after we buried our dad, my brother Ron passed away on Saturday. To many, he’ll be a statistic: Tennessee’s second COVID-related death. But to me, I’ll remember a loving, older brother, uncle, father, and husband. Ron was a tough-as-nails Marine who was a big teddy bear on the inside. He never left my dad’s side during his final weeks and took care of everyone else in the way only he could. His politics didn’t match mine AT ALL (and we joked about it constantly) but Ron was a very good man who had an amazing capacity to love. I miss him dearly. Several weeks ago, Ron was diagnosed with cancer. His immune system was compromised and he contracted COVID-19. He was put in a medically induced coma and placed on a ventilator. He fought it as hard as he could but it was simply too much for his body. THIS is why we must #StayHome If you feel fine, that’s great. But please consider the possibility that you’re carrying the virus and don’t know it, and then you walk past the next Ron, my big brother, in public. COVID-19 now has a personal connection to me. Please do all you can to prevent one for you. #StayHomeMN

A post shared by Peggy Flanagan (@peggyflanagan) on

Klobuchar also announced Monday morning that her husband was admitted to a hospital in Virginia after he started coughing up blood. He has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Fox News.

Minnesota sustained its first in state COVID-19 death over the weekend, after the virus claimed the life of an 80-year-old in Ramsey County after three days of hospitalization. “This one strikes closer to home and closer to the heart,” reamerked State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, according to KTSP.

The state had 169 confirmed cases as of Sunday, reports KTTC.

Kyle Hooten

Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.

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