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From YouTube: March 13, 2020 Coronavirus preparedness press conference
Description
Minneapolis City leaders provide update on COVID-19 response.
A
Thank
you
all
for
being
here
today
on
this
important
conversation,
as
you
can
tell
by
the
scope
of
the
people
who
are
here
today
behind
me,
every
facet
of
our
city,
Enterprise,
is
engaged
and
is
working
during
this
very
trying
moment.
Today,
our
country
faces
an
ongoing
threat
from
Co
vid
19,
one
that
could
last
months
and
impact
all
of
us
city
halls
in
every
state
are
confronting
this
threat
and
grappling
with
a
new
era
of
uncertainty.
A
With
such
uncertainty
comes
anxiety,
which
I
know
we
have
felt
at
varying
levels.
We
hear
about
what
the
rest
of
the
country
and
what
the
rest
of
the
world
is
experiencing,
and
we
want
to
help
that's
who
we
are
as
a
people
in
Minneapolis.
It's
what
makes
us
us
those
ideals.
Those
values
we
hold
steadfast
will
be
all
the
more
important
in
months
ahead.
A
A
There
is
temptation
to
flip
a
switch
completely
shut
down
and
just
ride
it
out
for
the
next
30
to
60
days,
but
public
health,
research
and
quality
emergency
operations
planning
tells
us
that
it
is
best
not
to
take
dramatic
action
without
being
based
on
solid
rationale.
It
is
better
to
gradually
move
up
and
eventually
down
a
sliding
scale
or
spectrum
of
actions.
In
some
cases
it
may
take
a
few
hours
to
move
to
the
Lexx
next
level
of
actions.
In
other
cases,
it
takes
days.
A
Circumstances
may
require
anything
from
clear
recommendations:
two
mandates.
The
city
cannot
function
without
our
first
responders
without
clean
water
and
safe
streets.
To
that
end,
let
me
reassure
the
public
that
our
core
functions
at
the
city
will
continue
without
interruption,
while
the
Minnesota
Department
of
Health
is
leading
the
statewide
response
to
kovat
19
city
staff
are
continuing
to
work
around
the
clock
with
state
and
county
partners
to
enhance
the
readiness
efforts.
A
Earlier
today,
I
met
with
our
respective
department
heads
to
provide
further
guidance
and
to
discuss
contingency
plans.
We
are
taking
concrete
steps
to
ensure
we
continue
delivering
city
services
with
excellence
and
with
compassion,
we're
shoring
up
protections
against
cyberattacks
and
moving
forward
with
staffing
contingency
plans
for
first
responders
and
9-1-1
dispatchers.
A
We
are
testing
our
IT
and
managerial
infrastructure,
so
we
are
prepared
if
at
some
point,
city
staff
need
to
work
remotely
we're
also
working
internally
with
multi
jurisdictional
partners
on
pooling
both
resources
and
staff,
and
we
are
continuing
to
engage
service
providers
across
our
city
to
enhance
mitigation
efforts
and
support
our
most
vulnerable
population,
including
seniors
public
housing
residents
and
those
who
are
experiencing
homelessness
for
the
next
30
days.
We
have
guaranteed
our
city's
clean
water
will
continue
to
run
for
all
residents,
regardless
of
their
ability
to
pay.
A
A
B
I'm
Lisa
bender
I'm,
the
president
of
the
Minneapolis
City
Council,
I'm,
very
glad
to
be
here
today
with
me
or
Frye.
I
want
to
thank
you
mayor
for
your
leadership
and
your
partnership
with
the
City
Council.
We
had
a
city
council
meeting
this
morning
we're
able
to
have
a
briefing
from
mr.
ruff
and
Commissioner
music
aunt,
who
will
be
speaking
shortly.
We
also
have
scheduled
meetings
next
week
for
more
in-depth
briefings
of
council
committees
on
Monday.
B
The
public
health
committee
will
have
a
more
in-depth
briefing
on
public
health
questions
sharing
and
answering
questions
largely
on
what
we've
been
hearing
from
the
mini
app
from
the
Minnesota
Department
of
Health,
with
their
announcement
that
just
came
out
today
and
ongoing
updates
that
we're
hearing
from
our
partners
at
the
state.
As
the
mayor
said,
local
governments,
including
the
city
of
Minneapolis,
are
really
working
in
partnership
and
constant
communication
with
and
in
coordination
with
the
Minnesota
Department
of
Health,
which
is
really
leading
our
community
through
the
health
guidelines
that
we
all
be
following.
B
Then,
on
Wednesday,
the
Public
Safety
Committee
will
have
a
briefing
related
to
our
emergency
response
capacity.
I'm
pleased
to
share
that
our
fire
department,
our
Police
Department
on
n11
and
our
3-1-1
operations,
have
many
contingency
plans
in
place.
We've
dealt
with
emergencies
before
and
we
are
well
prepared.
We
know
that
we
continue
to
learn
about
this
particular
situation,
but
our
city
departments,
including
our
first
responders
and
emergency
responders,
are
well
prepared
for
guiding
our
community
and
supporting
our
community
through
emergencies
as
city
leaders.
B
We
want
to
ensure
that
the
people
who
work
for
our
city,
who
are
coming
to
work,
to
keep
that
water
on
to
respond
to
emergencies,
to
be
that
front
line
of
support
are
well
protected,
and
so,
while
we
continue
to
follow
Minneapolis
Department
of
Health
guidelines,
we
are
working
to
accommodate
and
support
our
employees.
Everything
from
reviewing
our
leave
policies
to
providing
support
to
our
employees
I
was
very
glad
at
a
briefing
today
that
the
fire
chief
Friedel
raised
the
issue
of
mental
health
services
which
are
available
to
our
employees.
B
B
We
were
able
to
pass
a
staff
direction
this
morning.
That
spoke
to
some
of
those
external
supports.
We
have
champions
on
the
mini
Minneapolis,
City
Council,
for
so
many
areas
of
community
support
and
deep
relationships
in
our
community,
everything
from
communicating
with
folks
who
don't
speak,
English
or
who
may
not
have
internet
access
to
share
information
with
our
vulnerable
communities.
We
have
folks
talking
with
the
minneapolis
public
housing
authority
about
the
people
who
are
living
in
our
public
housing
in
minneapolis.
B
As
we
don't
know
the
full
impact
of
the
economic
impacts
of
this,
but
we're
ready
our
selves
to
really
protect
those
who
are
most
vulnerable
learning
from
other
cities
that
have
been
impacted
so
far,
how
they're
working
to
support
their
small
businesses,
they're
artists,
they're
musicians,
the
folks
whose
livelihoods
rely
on
large
gatherings.
We
need
to
come
together
as
a
community
and
support
each
other
support
our
local
businesses
and
our
creative
sector.
B
The
water
shut-off
decision
today
is
one
example:
we're
working
with
our
utilities,
with
our
cable
companies
to
ensure
that
folks
have
access
to
needed
services,
no
matter
their
ability
to
pay,
as
we
look
forward
to
some
potential
economic
impacts
from
this,
so
we're
so
grateful
to
all
of
our
department
heads
all
of
the
staff.
Who've
really
stepped
up
to
be
creative,
to
be
proactive
to
come
prepared
and
to
help
us
all
weather
this
together.
C
Thank
You
council
president
I
am
mark
ruff,
the
interim
city
coordinator
during
a
time
of
crisis,
I
think
any
organization,
any
regions,
both
strengths
and
weaknesses,
are
magnified.
What
I
am
heartened
by
and
buoyed
by
and
motivated
by
everyday
is
the
great
amount
of
strength
that
you
have
in
this
room
today
and
among
the
department,
heads
and
the
elected
officials
and
our
institutional
partners,
whether
it
be
Hennepin
County,
the
University
of
Minnesota,
the
state
of
Minnesota,
the
school
district.
We
are
in
constant
communication
with
each
other
at
a
number
of
levels.
C
C
I
think
our
residents
and
our
businesses
can
be
assured
that
the
quality
and
dedication
of
our
individual
employees
I
think
is
unsurpassed
and
that
we
will
be
here
for
them
that
we
are
working
not
only
to
care
for
them
and
their
families,
but
as
our
primary
job
description
to
care
for
those
out
in
the
community.
I
also
want
to
say
that
as
much
as
possible,
we
will
continue
the
business
of
the
city.
C
We
will
still
undertake
procurement
processes
of
awarding
contracts
of
keeping
the
economy
moving
forward
in
a
safe
fashion,
but
in
a
way
that
also
moves
the
priorities
laid
out
by
our
mayor
and
city
council
forward,
and
we
will
in
some
ways
as
staff,
find
this
as
an
opportunity
and
a
challenge
to
engage
people
in
a
way.
That's
not
traditional,
so
that
if
we
can't
gather
together
what
are
there
other
ways
that
we
can
still
receive
input
on
our
many
important
endeavors,
whether
it
be
the
transportation
action
plan
or
the
planning
of
the
former
Kmart
site.
A
D
Thank
You,
mayor
and
I'm,
just
so
grateful
fully
for
the
alignment
we
have
in
the
city
between
Health
Department
and
all
the
other
departments
and
our
elected
leaders
as
we
face
this
unusual
challenge.
It's
a
novel
virus,
and
so
we
have
not
seen
it
before.
We
have
some
sense
of
how
it
behaves
because
of
how
it's
been
in
other
countries,
but
it
is
an
evolving
situation.
D
We
set
up
a
system
of
oversight
of
the
work
related
to
the
virus
more
than
a
couple
weeks
ago
and
have
been
working
hand
in
glove
with
others
in
the
city.
We
have
also
been
coordinating
with
the
healthcare
sector
that
is
busy
coordinating
amongst
itself,
leaning
forward
into
projections
about
how
their
systems
might
be
stressed,
working
with
other
public
health
agencies,
including
Hennepin
County's,
and
we
are
taking
the
lead
from
the
Minnesota
Department
of
Health
and
the
CDC.
D
We
are
consulting
and
being
concerned
being
consulted
by
Minneapolis
residents
and
organizations
who
are
wondering
how
should
they
respond?
What
can
they
do
and
the
notion
of
innovation
is
really
important
within
the
context
of
the
guidelines,
so
we
have
guidelines
about
how
to
proceed,
but
then
there
are
choices
within
that.
How
can
venues
continue
to
follow
the
guidelines
of
that?
We
just
heard
from
the
State
Health
Department
about
the
number
of
people
that
should
be
gathered
together,
but
also,
if
you're,
a
smaller
gathering.
D
So
I
have
said
a
couple
times
already
that
this
is
an
uncertain
environment
and
what
can
people
do
with
the
stress
that
comes
with
uncertainty?
We
would
all
like
clear
answers.
The
same
answer,
something
steady
from
one
day
to
the
next,
and
hopefully
the
steadiness
comes
from
our
commitment
to
working
on
this.
But
the
answers
are
not
always
as
steady,
so
there
is
stress
for
all
of
us
and
I
think
we
need
to
acknowledge
that
we
need
to
think
about
how
we're
gonna
cope
with
that.
D
Each
individual
probably
has
ways
that
they
distress
going
for
a
walk.
Taking
some
deep,
breaths
I
know
I've
had
to
remind
myself
about
the
deep
breaths
lately
for
myself,
and
then
they
work
staying
home
from
from
work
or
school.
If
you're
sick,
of
course,
as
a
no
action
people
can
take,
but
taking
care
of
one's
neighbors
is
also
something
people
can
do.
D
So
as
we
proceed,
we
are
guided
by
science,
the
state
health
department
and
then
the
creativity
of
our
community
in
responding
to
this
changing
environment
and
as
the
the
mayor
suggested,
this
is
going
to
be
ramping
up
and
are
ramping
back
down,
and
so
we
want
to
be
ready
for
all
the
stages
that
are
ahead
of
us.
Thank
you.