/usr/web/www.marshallindependent.com/wp-content/themes/coreV2/single.php
×

Preparing for the storm

In his State of the State address, Walz calls on the resilience of Minnesotans in the battle against COVID-19

Photo by Marshall Independent via live video Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered his delayed State of the State address Sunday evening.

MARSHALL — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered his State of the State address on Sunday evening, primarily drawing comparisons to the state’s resiliency during the winter months to the current fight against COVID-19.

“We’re used to long winters in Minnesota; we’re resilient people with a deep reserve of courage, optimism and grit, but this will be like a winter we’ve never seen before,” Walz said. “As we’ve done for generations, once the leaves fall off the trees and the sky turns cold and gray, we prepare. There’s no stopping the storm of COVID-19 in Minnesota but we are preparing for it.”

Walz said they are constantly making efforts to be better prepared for the treatment of the virus, from expanding the capacity of hospitals to increasing the number of tests, ventilators and ICU beds. He added that places such as the Mayo Clinic and 3M are doing things such as using blood from recovered COVID-19 patients as treatment for the ill and producing millions of facemasks each month, respectively, while smaller companies are putting their production on pause in order to provide whatever they can for relief efforts.

Walz has issued a “Stay at Home” order that will currently end on April 10 at 5 p.m. but there is a strong likelihood it gets extended until at least the end of the month. Walz said that while it doesn’t seem like much, citizens who are staying home are making a tremendous impact on not just themselves but for those around them as well.

“Those of you who are staying at home, you are doing some of the most critical work of all,” Walz said. “I know it doesn’t feel like it to you, (but) Minnesotans are hard-working people who when the time comes, they step into the fight. In many storms, that means plowing out your neighborhood, filling sandbags or trudging through the snow to check on a loved one. But now it means staying home.”

“What you are doing isn’t paralysis, it’s action. Staying home reduces face-to-face contact and thus the threat of virus transmission by up to 80%. Staying home is the only vaccine we have right now. You are slowing the spread of this disease. You are making a difference, and you are certainly saving lives,” he added.

Walz also delivered a message of encouragement toward children and parents, who are currently adjusting to new lives and different schedules within their home.

“To the children, I know this is really scary. I know you miss seeing your teachers and your classmates and I know how very disappointing it is that many of those important end-of-school activities have been canceled. But what you’re doing matters, your sacrifice is keeping people safe, you’re protecting your neighbors and someday when you have children of your own, you’ll tell them about this moment in history and what you and your neighbors did to help this state,” Walz said. “Parents, I know how hard this is. Many of you are trying to watch your children at the same time you’re trying to work from home, many of you are out of work and are worried about the bills that are coming due. This is hard, this is unprecedented, but take a deep breath, be kind to yourself and to each other. We’re all doing the best we can and that’s all we can do.”

As everybody around the world continues to fight this ongoing pandemic, Walz knows things will only get more difficult, but realizes the state will be able to endure, just like it does when winter arrives.

“These last few weeks have been difficult, but it’s only going to get harder. Long hours of darkness lie ahead of us. We’re going to do everything in our power to save lives and as hard as we work, we’re not going to be able to save everyone. It’s going to be a cold, long winter. But how do we get through cold, long winters? We get through them together as #OneMinnesota,” Walz said. “We always shovel our neighbor’s sidewalk, we push out a stranger’s car that gets stuck and we donate hats and mittens to folks who need it. It’s that collective spirit that empowers us to endure winter and it’s how we’ll endure this crisis as well.”

And once the world is back to its normal life, Walz said the state will not only blossom like the beginning of spring, its citizens will come out stronger and more united than before.

“The sun will shine brightly, the trees will bud and the birds will sing. Spring will arrive and when it does, we will dig out, we will do whatever it takes to support Minnesotans and businesses to get back on their feet,” Walz said. “We won’t just make it to spring, we’ll come out on the other side better from this winter. Because we are Minnesotans, we see challenges and tackle them. No matter how daunting the challenge, no matter how dark the times, Minnesota’s always risen up by coming together. The state of our state is strong, the state of our state is resilient and the state of our state is united.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today