Minnesota Senate votes to terminate Walz's emergency powers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Senate voted Friday to terminate the emergency powers that Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vote was 39-29, with three Democrats breaking ranks to vote with the Republican majority. Republicans contend that Walz has used those powers to govern unchecked, causing economic harm without achieving better results than states with looser restrictions, such as Wisconsin.

But the vote was largely symbolic, given that House Speaker Melissa Hortman said her chamber, where Democrats have a comfortable majority, would reject a similar House GOP attempt.

Meanwhile, health officials said they're on alert after the number of the coronavirus cases in Minnesota increased for the third straight day, following four straight days of declines.

The state confirmed 490 new cases and 25 more deaths, pushing up the number of deaths of long-term care residents over 1,000.

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said she's “anxiously awaiting the data” regarding the uptick. But she also noted that there are about 200 fewer people in hospitals and 70 fewer people in intensive care units from high points recorded a couple of weeks ago.

Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease division director, said officials can adjust quickly if “things move in the wrong direction.”