Minnesota remains on lockdown under Governor Tim Walz’s current lockdown regime at least until May 4. Governor Walz promulgated the lockdown regime on March 25 on the assertion that, absent his order, 74,000 Minnesotans would die of COVID-19. Since that date he has backtracked, reshuffled, and talked, talked, talked. The guy can talk more or less like a normal Minnesotan, but faster, and at greater length.
Despite his mastery of the press covering him, Governor Walz apparently would prefer not to take questions that seriously question the assumptions of his lockdown regime. On a personal note, I have asked Walz press secretary Teddy Tschann to be included in the daily coronavirus briefings three times. While a simple “yes” or “no” would suffice, Tschann has so far yet to favor me with the courtesy of a reply.
Tschann came to the governor’s office by way of work for Senators Al Franken and Tina Smith. I don’t want to flatter myself, but maybe he knew me when I dubbed Franken “The unfunniest Senator.”
Walz has to answer in some fashion to the legislature. Republicans hold a majority in the state senate. They have been asking Walz about the model that underlies the lockdown regime. At the bottom of this post I have embedded the handout he has provided to legislators. What’s it all about? “The goal of the model is to provide decision makers with a directional sense based on empirical information about how a range of options would play out in the course of the epidemic.” Professor Irwin Corey, call your office.
As of this morning, Minnesota has 111 deaths attributed to COVID-19. The median age of decedents is 85 with an age range that continues to run between 56 and 100. More than two-thirds of the deaths have occurred at nursing home and assisted-care living facilities. The number of those hospitalized in intensive care as of today is 106. See the Department of Health COVID-19 Situation Update.
The economic devastation of the state continues, as the Star Tribune took note here and here this week. Better late than never.
Star Tribune commentary editor D.J. Tice has also noticed that we have yet to assess the costs versus the benefits of the lockdown regime. Doug’s excellent column is here. Doug observed that it might help “to prepare the public for the unknowable results” of the lockdown “if leaders talked more candidly about our need to fully consider all the dangers we confront in this struggle.” That’s an indictment of Governor Walz.
Video of the governor’s briefing yesterday is accessible here on the Alpha News Facebook page. I thought Walz turned in an impressive performance. He has persuaded me that no one is going to outtalk him.
Legislator Modeling Briefin… by Scott Johnson on Scribd
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