[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today released the following statement on Senate Republicans’ decision not to notify DFL colleagues, non-partisan staff, and Capitol law enforcement of a COVID-19 outbreak before Thursday’s special session.

“When COVID-19 spreads from one person to another, it does not care who you are or where you are from. The virus doesn’t operate along party lines, and so neither can we. Each of us has a personal responsibility to take steps to slow the spread. And if we know of a positive case, we have a moral obligation to share that information with others so that they can protect themselves and their families.”

“As elected officials, we must lead by example. I simply do not understand why Senate Republicans chose only to share that there were positive cases in their caucus with members of their own party before Thursday’s floor session. Injecting partisanship into public health, their actions knowingly put the safety of their DFL colleagues, non-partisan staff, and Capitol law enforcement at risk. We must put aside our differences and look out for our neighbors. At the end of the day, we are all Minnesotans.”