Last updated March 17 at 12:49 pm E.D.T.

Minnesota has 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, according to the Star Tribune. 

The majority of the cases are in the Twin Cities metro area, with upwards of 20 cases in Hennepin County, while Ramsey and Dakota counties each have more than six cases, the Minnesota Department of Health reported.

To slow the spread of the disease, Gov. Tim Walz has ordered that dine-in restaurants close as of 5 p.m. local time Tuesday (March 17), as well as bars, theaters, museums and other places of public gathering, the Star Tribune reported. 

Moreover, the Mall of America is closing as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, and will stay closed until at least the end of March, according to City Pages. Anybody who needs to file for unemployment insurance can find a guide here.

The state’s public health lab has tested nearly 1,900 patients as of Monday morning (March 16), but Kris Ehresmann, infectious disease director for the Minnesota Department of Health, said this pace cannot be sustained because testing supplies are running out, according to the Star Tribune. 

Going forward, the state lab will give hospitalized patients and health care workers testing priority, Ehresmann said.

Confirmed cases are in several counties, including Blue Earth, Benton and Anoka. 

Walz has ordered that K-12 schools close from March 18 to at least March 27, and asked the schools to provide childcare for health care workers, as well as meals for students in need. 

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Coronavirus in the US: Map, case counts and news

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Originally published on Live Science. 

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