Governor Tim Walz today joined frontline healthcare workers to urge Minnesotans to work together to combat the spread of COVID-19. Walz said with possible safe vaccines on the way in the coming months, there may be “light at the end of the tunnel,” but in the meantime “as we enter into and we’re there, into the hardest part of this pandemic, and the most dangerous part of the pandemic before we get to that light at the end of the tunnel, we’re gonna have to rely back on one of the most basic things: that we’re all in this together, we need to fight the virus, not each other.” State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm today called the spike in cases “terrifying.” The state Health Department today reported around 24,000 positive COVID-19 cases over the last three days. Malcolm is calling on Minnesotans to adust their expectations this year and says “as tempting as it is to just stick with our cherished traditions this year, we really need people to reconsider and frankly not gather with other households, especially if those households include people in a high-risk category for severe illness.” At a press conference today, Kelly, a Minnesota nurse with 12 years of experience, the last six as an intensive care worker, said the pandemic is taking a toll on her and other so-called “front-line” workers and added “honestly, I’ve always found this name laughable, as it implies that there’s a second line of us waiting in the wings. Minnesota, we are your only line, healthcare workers are showing up in ways that we’ve never been called to do and we keep showing up because it’s what we do.” Governor Walz is expected to announce significant mitigation factors later this week to help prevent the pandemic from spreading further throughout the state.