A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
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The Minnesota Department of Health has selected areas near Esko and Mahtowa for participation in a voluntary, in-person survey to understand the effect Covid-19 is having on Minnesota communities. There are a number of benefits to participating in the survey, although health officials stressed that participation is not required. Why participate? • Free Covid-19 tests. Participants and people living with them get free Covid-19 tests and learn if they had, or currently have, Covid-19; • The information can lead to better understanding of how Cov...
Positive COVID-19 cases in Carlton County jumped to 210 on Tuesday, Sept. 8, an increase of 14 since Sept. 2. People are asked to wear masks in public indoor spaces and maintain social distancing from others, wash hands frequently and/or use hand sanitizer. Put the toilet seat down when you flush to help avoid spreading coronavirus in the air and the surrounding surfaces. Thin fabric neck gaiters are not recommended for use as a mask. Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or who has been exposed to someone they think may have the disease is...
When Cloquet resident Robert Peacock got sick with Covid-19, he decided to share his experience with the world, blogging on Facebook, calling friends, sharing the unpleasant details of living through disease. Following in the footsteps of his friend Pokey Paro, who blogged about dying of kidney disease, he wanted to break down the walls, and let family and friends in Indian Country know they should go to the doctor when they feel ill, get tested, follow guidelines. "It's important because it is...
On Friday, Aug. 28, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa welcomed Dr. Deborah Birx, the Whitehouse coronavirus response coordinator, to hear about the Tribe's experience and efforts around Covid-19. The pandemic has brutally swept through Indian Country. Fond du Lac has not been spared. The reservation recently experienced positive cases earlier this month. Keeping the virus away from FDL has been the priority since the beginning for the Band, FDL's Emergency Operations Center, and...
When the Kids Corner child care program opted to make masks mandatory for its summer program, the initial reaction was skeptical, she said. But staff and parents have been pleasantly surprised by how readily the kids - mostly school-aged - got with the program. "We looked at it as training," said Community Ed director Ruth Reeves, "and we figured it was their future." That gave their kids a nearly two-month head start on the rest of the state, which joined them on July 25 after Minnesota...
Numbers of people testing positive for Covid-19 continue to climb in Carlton County, with case numbers increasing at a more rapid rate as the summer draws to an end. It should be noted, however, that case numbers are still relatively low here. Cases have grown by 59 cases from July 30 (120) to August 26 (179), and by 20 cases from last Tuesday, Aug. 18, to Aug. 26 alone. Over the month of July the number of cases grew by 37, from 83 to 120. Anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or who has been exposed to someone they think may have the disease is...
• CMH Raiter Clinic has a mobile testing site in the parking lot from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, but a doctor’s order is necessary before testing. Call 218-879-1271 to talk to a doctor. They will also accept orders from doctors outside CMH. The CMH Nurse Hotline is also available 24/7 at 218-499-6799 for advice. • FDL Human Services has a mobile testing site by appointment only at Min No Aya Win Human Services Center. Testing will be limited to those who are experiencing symptoms and who have had a telehealth visit with their Fond...
Two Carlton County senior living facilities — Cloquet’s Evergreen Knoll and New Perspective in Cloquet — remain on the state list of congregate care facilities that have reported a Covid-19 exposure at the facility. Exposure is defined as a person diagnosed with Covid-19 who either visited, worked, or lived at a congregate care facility while they were contagious. It doesn’t necessarily mean that any residents were infected with the coronavirus....
While some 14-year-olds keep busy playing video games or watching movies during a pandemic quarantine, Cloquet's Ryan Huls has taken up a more productive hobby. In the midst of the global pandemic, Huls did his part using a 3-D printer to make "ear savers" and ventilator splitters. Ear savers are a device placed on the head that holds the mask straps instead of hooking behind the ears, which can irritate after extended mask use. The flat plastic connector rests on the back of a person's head...
Faced with demand for more Covid-19 tests this fall, the state is using $14 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to build capacity by doing up to 30,000 saliva tests daily. The strategy relies on a saliva-based test developed by Vault Health and Rutgers University that can be done at home. Minnesota is already doing 22,000 tests daily. But Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said more than doubling that capacity with saliva tests will help meet demand for tests as schools reopen. “For schools, it’s going to be critically imp...
While the statewide rate of positive Covid-19 cases appears to be slowing in the wake of the mask mandate, Carlton County reported its first resident death from the disease earlier this week. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the person was in their 80s and had underlying health conditions. Age and other health conditions are both risk factors. “This information was very difficult to hear, as effects of the pandemic are starting to hit closer to home,” said Dave Lee, director of Carlton County Public Health and Human Services, of...
There are outliers among Carlton County schools, those that won’t be coming back this fall with all of their students. So far, students in Esko, Carlton, Cromwell-Wright, Moose Lake and Barnum will likely go back to school en masse next month if the number of positive Covid-19 cases remains low. Decisions have already been made by some boards or have been recommended. Cloquet won’t make a final decision until Aug. 24, when more numbers come in on the number of coronavirus cases in the county. Wrenshall, by virtue of a delayed construction proje...
As confirmed cases of Covid-19 continue to climb in Carlton County — rising by 15 over the last week — the Cloquet school district is still 10 days away from making a final decision on exactly how students will return to school in the fall. If the case rate remains below 10 sick people per 10,000 residents, Cloquet schools will likely offer all classes in person. If they climb to between 10 and 20 per 10,000, kindergarten through sixth grade will attend school in person and grades 7-12 will sta...
Minnesota’s COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to head the wrong way, with counts of people currently hospitalized and needing intensive care rising to levels not seen in six weeks. The Health Department Tuesday reported 328 people still hospitalized with 159 of those need ICU beds. Officials have been bracing Minnesotans to expect hospitalizations and ICU cases to grow in response to the case surge the past few weeks as Minnesota began allowing customers to return to indoor gathering spaces, including bars, stores and restaurants. While curren...
From a health care perspective, a mask ordinance is a good idea. Multiple studies have shown that wearing masks helps reduce transmission of Covid-19. There are many tools in our toolbelt to help us combat this virus. Examples of these tools are contact tracing, physical distancing, testing, and wearing masks. A vaccine will ultimately change everything in a big way, but that is still over the horizon. Contact tracing has proved challenging in this case. The fact that so many of us are asymptomatic for so long while we are contagious makes it...
Hours after the Cloquet City Council voted to require face coverings by Aug. 1 in all public indoor spaces in the city of Cloquet, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that a statewide mandate would begin Saturday. The Cloquet City Council joined a growing number of cities issuing mask ordinances during its regular meeting Tuesday by a 5-2 vote, with councilors Kerry Kolodge and Steve Langley dissenting. On Wednesday, Walz cited the emerging ordinances and decisions by businesses in requiring masks...
An employee of Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet tested positive for Covid-19 last month, and the Cloquet nursing home is now on the Minnesota Department of Health’s list of congregate care facilities “with Covid-19 outbreaks.” Community Memorial Hospital CEO Rick Breuer said the classification was “unfortunate” but technically correct. There have not been any patient cases at the nursing home attached to the hospital — one employee tested positive. The employee had been off work for an extended period of time (since June), became ill...
Gov. Tim Walz Wednesday finally issued a rule Wednesday requiring people to wear masks or face coverings in public indoor spaces in Minnesota. More than half of U.S. states have issued similar mandates. So have most major Minnesota cities, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud. On Tuesday, Cloquet and Superior joined the chorus. In announcing his decision, Walz said Minnesota's business and health care communities both supported a statewide mask order. Walz had dela...
Studies have shown that masks limit the spread of the coronavirus by blocking respiratory droplets that can travel through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or even just speaks. There’s also strong evidence to suggest that masks help protect others from catching the virus from the person wearing the mask. When you talk, “things are coming out of your mouth. They’re coming out fast,” explained Linsey Marr, a researcher at Virginia Tech who studies the airborne transmission of viruses. “They’re going to slam into the cloth mask. I think even a...
Children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old are not required to wear masks, but are encouraged to wear them when in public. People who have health conditions, disabilities or behavioral needs that make it difficult to safely wear a mask are exempted from the rule. There are also exceptions for people who are unable to remove a mask without assistance, and for any person who has trouble breathing. In addition, the mandate does not apply to private indoor spaces, including homes, or hotel rooms. There are also lots of situations in which you...
The Minnesota Department of Health will be hosting two days of community testing for COVID-19 at the St. Louis County Fairgrounds in Chisholm next week. The testing will be open to everyone, including those without symptoms, and will be free. The testing will be held on Tuesday, July 28 from 12:00 – 7:00 P.M. and on Wednesday, July 29 from 10:00 – 5 P.M. at the St. Louis County Fairgrounds (1010 Discovery Drive, Chisholm, MN). The testing does not require insurance, and people are encouraged to sign up ahead of time to help avoid waiting in...
After opening its gym to volleyball practice on July 6, officials at Wrenshall High School had to soon shut everything down as a friend and fellow student of the volleyball players tested positive for Covid-19. Superintendent Kim Belcastro made the case public Monday at the monthly school board meeting. She said the positive case shows just how vigilant students and staff need to be as schools try to reopen this fall despite the ongoing pandemic. “We notified all players that all volleyball activities will be shut down for two weeks,” said act...
New health care option covers cost for many residents in need Many uninsured Minnesotans can get tested for Covid-19 at no cost to them during the federal public health emergency, thanks to a new health care option. The state will cover the cost of testing for individuals who apply and meet all of the following conditions: Be a resident of Minnesota. Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or lawfully present noncitizen with an immigration status that qualifies for Medical Assistance. Provide their Social Security number unless they meet an exception...
Wednesday pressed Minnesotans to stay vigilant to slow the spread of COVID-19, emphasizing personal responsibility and cautioning that the recent rapid increase in new cases will lead to more deaths. They also encouraged families to make plans for others to care for young children should parents and other caregivers fall ill with the disease. “We are, in fact, at a worrisome point that our numbers are going up,” Dr. Ruth Lynfield, the state epidemiologist, said of the two-week trend in daily case counts. “This really is a moment for all of us...
Two Cloquet grocery stores are now requiring all customers to wear masks or face coverings at their stores here. Super One announced that effective Tuesday, July 14, masks or face coverings will now be required in-store at the following Super One Foods and Super One Liquor locations: Michigan, Duluth, Pike Lake, Superior, Cloquet, and Two Harbors. Face coverings must cover the nose and mouth. Single-use face masks will be available at the service counter for $1. According to a company statement issued Wednesday, effective Monday, July 20...
