Roseau Times-Region - Serving Roseau County for over 100 Years - The Official Roseau County Newspaper

“The City is ready, we are mobilized and we are in position to adapt to yet unknown mandates and/or situations. We will do everything in our power to continue to provide excellent services to our residents and businesses.

We continue to work closely with State, Federal & Local Agencies; including our healthcare, school, and business communities to minimize the risk to all of our residents. However, this situation is evolving so quickly that it will be impossible for the City to be your primary source of information. You MUST accept the personal responsibility to stay informed and do NOT rely on Social Media! Get your information directly from either the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and/or MN Department of Health (MDH).

Please remember that we are all in this together. We need to help each other however and whenever we can.

Now, more than ever, please support our local businesses through these difficult times.

MOST OF ALL, STAY INFORMED, STAY SAFE & DON’T PANIC!”

Mayor Jeff Pelowski, Roseau

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Roseau County

If the coronavirus isn't here yet, the Roseau County Board is preparing for its arrival.

On Thursday morning during the Emergency Board Meeting at the Roseau City Center in the Voyageur's Room, the Roseau County Commissioners met for almost three and a half hours.

"Primarily, there were department heads and county commissioners present," said Commissioner Jack Swanson, estimating that about 20 attended the special meeting.

"Roger Falk, the board chair, issued a Proclamation and Declaration of Emergency. That's primarily done for eventual federal and state resources. So, it's a procedural matter."

Swanson noted one other significant change. "The courthouse will temporarily have limited access for the public, but services will continue. That is effective as of Friday, March 20," he said. "In essence, the courthouse is closed, except for the courts starting tomorrow," he said.

"All county offices will be closed to actual traffic by the public. But staff will work, though. If people have questions, they can call because somebody will be in each of the offices."

Swanson explained that the courts will be limited to only the most serious cases for the foreseeable future.

Did the sheriff talk about releasing prisoners? "They have reduced the number of inmates in jail. Those that they have released are on electric home monitoring," he said, adding that the biggest part of their discussion involved employee policy during this coronavirus crisis because there will be employees who have respiratory issues and flu-like symptoms.

"We're saying that those people should not come to work. We want to limit exposure within the departments. So, department heads will have the authority to stagger work schedules like, as an example, in Social Services where there are 35 employees. If we can stagger work schedules, then the likelihood of exposure within each department is lessened. That was the bulk of our discussion." A main concern, said Swanson, is that there will be enough employees able to complete the tasks.

"You want to make sure you have enough employees that are healthy so, if you have an emergency situation - let's say a big snowfall - you want to have enough highway department employees that can move the snow."

Swanson added one further change for the present time.

"We are going to meet as a board weekly now, starting next Tuesday. We are moving those meetings back to the board room, but we are going to limit access because the courthouse is going to be closed. We will find a way for people to be able to see what's going on, but remotely. Perhaps on YouTube would be one place or by phone or whatever the case might be," he said. "We're going to have limited access in the board room again because we don't want to spread this virus."

Two days earlier, Commissioner Swanson was contacted after a Social Services meeting as a prelude to Thursday's county board meeting.

He was asked then about the mood of the participants. "I think concern but optimism. Obviously, it's pretty apparent that the virus is spreading. I think it's fair to say that it will come to Roseau County in some form. We certainly are concerned about that and, mostly, for the elderly population. It seems to impact them the most," he said, noting that the ones who are the most at risk are those over 80 and persons with pre-existing conditions.

"It's very possible that somebody up here already has it, but they just don't know yet."

City of Roseau

Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) are monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness, called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In recent days, COVID-19 has been identified in Minnesota, and while no cases have been identified in Roseau County at this time, the City of Roseau is following the recommendations of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the U.S. CDC officials in guiding us on important decisions for planning and managing this disease in our community if, and when, it arrives.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has declared a State of Emergency in Minnesota regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the MDH has issued recommendations to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Individuals can obtain more information on these recommendations at http://www.health.state.mn.us, and these guidelines from the State fall in line with the recommendations from the CDC, http://www.cdc.gov.

In order to do our part in the containment and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19 within the City of Roseau, the Roseau City Council has also declared a State of Emergency. In addition, as this is literally a “day-to-day” situation, we strongly advise our residents to regularly monitor, and adhere to, the recommendations of the MDH and CDC until further notice.

The City of Roseau will do everything in their power to keep essential services, (water, sewer, electric, garbage, police & fire protection), operating as much as normal throughout this outbreak.

However, the City is restricting access to a number of our recreational and community facilities to mitigate the possible spread of the virus.

At this time, the Roseau Municipal Liquor Store will operate its normal hours and services; however, the City asks that patrons avoid congregating anywhere within the store.

The Roseau City Clerk’s Office and Roseau Utility Building will remain operational, but residents are asked to use telephone (City Clerk 463-1542 & Utilities 463-2351) and e-mail correspondence (City Clerk rosoclrk@mncable.net & Utilities cityshop@mncable.net) rather than in-person visits.

Additionally, all city bill payments should be done via online payment (available on City Website) or drop box rather than in-person. The City Center closed at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 for cleaning and will reopen on Monday, March 23rd at 5 p.m. for a City Council meeting to determine future community facility access.

All operations at the Roseau Public Library, Roseau County Museum and State Driver’s Training have been suspended and facilities are closed.

The Roseau Memorial Arena and North Rink closed at the end of the day Tuesday, March 17 and ice will be removed for the season.

The City is also concerned about local residents and businesses who’s income may be severely impacted by the mitigation efforts being imposed to fight this pandemic. The City is researching possible options to allow for the deferral of city utility payments to help those having difficulty paying bills in the next weeks and months.

The City will continue to work closely with our State, Federal, and Local Agencies, School District, business community, and health care providers.

As a community, remember that everyone is in this together and only through everyone’s cooperation can Roseau be successful. Also be mindful of those in our community that are vulnerable and do your part to help protect and provide for them by adhering to the MDH and CDC guidelines despite the inconveniences they might cause.

City of Warroad

The City of Warroad is continuing to take proactive steps to protect the health of their community and staff and to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The goal is to limit person to person contact as much as possible, therefore, effective Thursday, March 19 the City of Warroad is restricting public access to the Public Safety Building, City Shop buildings and Airport Arrival and Departure building. The City Office building will remain accessible, however, they are asking that you come in to the office only when necessary.

City Hall, Public Works, Emergency Services and Utilities crews will be working to keep the city running smoothly and safely for the residents and visitors. They hope to continue to conduct business as usual, just in a different way.

Residents, may also pay their utility bills on the website at http://www.warroadmn.org, drop it off at the payment drop box at the City Office, or use the mail. For all other needs contact the City Office at 218-386-1454 or email warroad@mncable.net.

Mayor Marvin declared a local state of emergency effective March 18. This will enable the city to function under specific authorities related to purchasing and decision making, and which enables options for the city to possibly secure State or Federal Aid. Beyond the formality of the Declaration itself, the city has already implemented many practical responses to ensure safety to the public and staff. They expect the public to notice few material interruptions.

The City is cancelling all non-essential city meetings for the remainder of March and April. City Council meetings will be held every Wednesday at noon at the Public Safety Facility through April.

SuperOne

“Like many of you, over the past few weeks our Company has been learning about the coronavirus (COVID -19) and the risks it presents to our communities. Many of you have been in our stores stocking up on all the essential things you need to keep your families well fed, healthy and safe. At the same time, our team has not been simply watching as this pandemic unfolds; we have been taking important action. The health and safety of both our customers and our employees is extremely important to us. So like you, we've been focused on doing what we need to do to confront this public health risk.” said Jim Miner, Jr., President.

SuperOne/Miner's has designated leadership teams focused on providing the stores with the resources they need during this time of uncertainty. These groups will continue to look to governmental and other public health guidance to promote safe and healthy practices at all of their stores.

SuperOne/Miner's takes great pride in their clean and well-stocked stores, and they know this is more important now than ever before. As licensed retail food establishments, their store operations have always been about food safety so they understand cleanliness protocols and disinfection procedures. They diligently follow these practices every day.

They closely follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and recommendations on the steps they can take to help prevent the spread of this virus.

It is no surprise that demand for certain products remains high. The committed staff is working around the clock to make sure that the products are available.

“If it becomes necessary to avoid hoarding and ensure that customers have access to high demand product they desire, we intend to reserve our right to limit the number of certain items for a single purchase,” said Jim Miner, Jr., President.

They will continue to monitor the situation and do all they can to make shopping for groceries a safe, healthy, and satisfying shopping experiences.

SuperOne is closing one hour early everyday to do necessary cleaning and also is dedicating the first hour of shopping each day to senior citizens and those who have a compromised immune system.

LifeCare Medical Center and Manors

LifeCare has restricted visitors to no visitors under the age of 18 and only one consistent visitor.

If you have been to an area with confirmed COVID-19 they are asking you to not visit patients .

Everyone entering the building will be screened for signs of respiratory illness.

LifeCare Fitness Centers will be closed until further notice.🔹

Roseau Manor and Greenbush Manors are restricting all visitors. “Employees are happy to work with family and friends that would like to call, FaceTime, Skype, email or other forms of communication with their loved ones,” said Deb Haugen. Only in very specific circumstances, such as end of life, will screened visitors be allowed to enter the building.

At the present time LifeCare has had no positive cases of the Coronavirus. They stress to use social distancing and proper handwashing.🔺

People who qualify for testing for Covid-19 at this time are healthcare workers/EMS, longterm care patients and anyone who is hospitalized.

If you feel you have the virus you are asked to call the Altru Hotline for further information. The following list are some of the symptoms: dry cough, fever and shortness of breath. The number is 1-701-780-6358, the hotline is open 24/7.

Altru

“We have not had any positive tests for COVID-19 at the time of this report. We are doing testing but this is very limited to screened patients with in a certain parameter according to MDH guidelines. Collection for the tests are locally and sent to MDH for testing,” said Gabe Mooney.

The clinic is screening all patients coming into the clinic to help keep the patients and staff healthy.

Altru is continuing to see patients but would ask for those who feel they want to wait to be seen to call the clinic and reschedule. If you need/want to be seen they are open to seeing patients with future or same day appointments.

“Our best advice is, if you feel you may be a carrier of COVID-19 or influenza and do not need medical care you should self-quarantine and stay at home to not risk spreading it to others,” said Gabe Mooney.

Patients with regularly scheduled appointments or needing care for other services and conditions should maintain their appointments and schedule as necessary.

We appreciate the community’s cooperation in following these guidelines as we strive to keep our patients, staff and the community safe. Altru is prepared to care for all patients, including those who may be at risk for COVID-19. We have a team of experts across our system diligently working to stay on top of this developing situation and making adjustments to our operations as needed

24/7 Hotline

Altru has established a COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Screening Hotline, 701.780.6358, that is now open 24/7.

Patients are asked to call this number prior to visiting an Altru location if they meet the following guidelines:

Experiencing symptoms, which includes fever or signs of respiratory illness, such as cough or shortness of breath and have had close-exposure to persons with confirmed COVID-19 in the past 14 days or have traveled outside the country in the past 21 days

Altru is working with the North Dakota Department of Health and following CDC guidelines for screening those at risk for COVID-19. It is not currently recommended to test those who are not experiencing symptoms.

Updates from the Governor

Governor Tim Walz held a media briefing today to provide an update on Minnesota's response to COVID-19. He announced that businesses will have a one month interest and penalty-free grace period on the deadline to file sales taxes, which will help alleviate financial strain businesses are facing from COVID-19.

The announcement follows reports that COVID-19 cases rose by 17 from yesterday, to 77 confirmed cases in 16 counties. Overall, the age range of cases is 17 to 71 years, with a median age of 50.

He also highlighted three executive orders that he has signed in recent days, which will:

• Protect residents and staff in Veterans Homes by restricting all visitors and non-essential personnel except for end of life care.

• Exempt emergency relief efforts from certain regulations that restrict their ability to provide assistance, including limits on weight and hours of service. The Order allows for the efficient movement of essential supplies, including food, medical supplies and household items.

• Provide paid leave for all state employees who are unable to work because of COVID-19.

Clarification on Business Closures

As a reminder, on Monday Governor Walz signed Executive Order 20-04 to order the temporary closure of Minnesota restaurants and bars to dine-in customers. He also ordered the temporary closure of other places of public accommodation and amusement, including theaters, museums, fitness centers, and community clubs. Today, he issued a clarification which extends the order to apply to salons, barbershops, and other similar establishments.

“As we move quickly to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are constantly learning and adjusting to feedback from health experts, business owners, and workers,” said Governor Walz. “The best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 is to implement social distancing, and this executive order provides clarification on how we can better implement these community mitigation strategies.”

Everyone can work to reduce

the spread of COVID-19

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

• Cover your cough.

• Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing. When feasible, organizers could modify events to be virtual.

Paragraph 1.e. of Executive Order 20-04 is amended by the following additions (indicated by underlined text) and deletions (indicated by strikethroughs): Gymnasiums, fitness centers, recreation centers, indoor sports facilities, indoor exercise facilities, exercise studios, and spas tanning establishments, body art establishments, tattoo parlors, piercing parlors, businesses offering massage therapy or similar body work, spas, salons, nail salons, cosmetology salons, esthetician salons, advanced practice esthetician salons, eyelash salons, and barber shops. This includes, but is not limited to, all salons and shops licensed by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetologist Examiners and the Minnesota Board of Barber Examiners. All other provisions of Executive Order 20-04 remain in effect.

Remember

Steps are being taken to keep the public safe, they are preparing not panicking!

To stay on top of the most current situations go to: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).