On Wednesday, April 8, Governor Walz informed Minnesotans through an in-person news conference that Executive Order 20-20 will be extended until May 4. The “Stay at Home” order’s extension, which was originally going to end Friday, will help minimize the number of people who are impacted by the coronavirus. As of today, there have been 39 COVID-19 related deaths in Minnesota— five more than yesterday. Of the five  most recent deaths, four of them have been people who live in long term care facilities. 

Gov. Walz believes that social distancing is the only way to keep the death total from spiking. He stated, “Every model out there shows that if you social distance, you buy more time.” At the moment, the model of Minnesota is relatively flat, but this could change at any time. “I will not sacrifice the health of Minnesotans and the gains we have made. These hard-earned gains, fights, and sacrifices can be lost virtually overnight if we don’t do this right,” he explained.

Like Gov. Walz, health care facilities believe prolonging this order is the best way to fight the pandemic. Although supplies are high in demand, there’s a short supply. Ventilators are essential to fighting this illness, but, currently, they’re hard to find. Gov. Walz stated that he would love to help other states out by donating ventilators; however, there are barely enough for Minnesotans. To help ensure hospitals don’t overflow with patients infected with this virus, people must keep their distance. Evidence has already shown social distancing is easing the spread of COVID-19. 

While the majority of Minnesotans are staying safe at home, others are working diligently to improve testing for the virus. By expanding the testing strategy, health officials will hopefully be able to confirm cases of the coronavirus faster. Another future goal of doctors and health experts is to develop a cure for this virus. Reaching this goal may take a while. So Gov. Walz had one final piece of advice for Minnesota: “The only vaccine we have is social distancing.”