College students ready to return on holiday break as COVID-19 cases rise

There were at least six new cases of COVID-19 reported in Cook County over the weekend and into Monday, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 46, with multiple active cases in the community at this time.

The case count continues to climb in nearby Lake County as well, where on Sunday the county that is home to Two Harbors, Silver Bay and Finland met its previous record high of 13 new cases in a single day. The total number of cases in Lake County since the start of the pandemic is 240.

Statewide, the Minnesota Department of Health reported more than 16,000 new cases over the weekend, a record for any two-day period since the start of the pandemic.

Another 66 deaths were reported over the weekend in Minnesota as a result of COVID-19, keeping November on pace for the most fatalities in one month in the state since the onset of the global pandemic.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, a number of college-aged students will be going on winter break soon. WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Cook County Public Health Supervisor Grace Grinager about any recommendations the local public health team have on college students coming back to Cook County over the holiday season as the pandemic surges and the number of local confirmed cases continues to rise.