Mayo Clinic says it has the resources to support a reopening of the Minnesota economy.
Governor Tim Walz said Monday that his state’s healthcare providers must be able to perform 5,000 COVID-19 tests per day before the economy can begin to reopen. Mayo Clinic announced Tuesday that it has already achieved this benchmark, reports the Post Bulletin.
The Clinic says it is “currently in active discussions with the state government” regarding its role in providing the testing needed to put Minnesotans back to work.
Thus far during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayo has tested over 80,000 people for the virus— 20,000 of which reside in Minnesota. (RELATED: Long Running Businesses Forced To Close Amidst Walz Shutdown)
Despite the hospital’s robust network of labs and professionals working together to make this possible, concerns exist that these resources could be directed out of state by a federal order. When asked if this might occur, Walz responded simply, saying “I certainly hope not,” reports the PB.
While it remains unclear exactly how Mayo Clinic’s testing ability will affect when Walz allows the economy to resume operation, it is certain that businesses will remain closed through May 4. This means that owners of so called non essential business will be without income for at least 7 weeks. The governor originally ordered them to shut down March 17.
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.
