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Here were the week’s top five stories and a look ahead.

1. Testing increases mean daily counts continue to climb and likely will continue. 

 as the state has increased testing. Most of the deaths have been in long-term care facilities - with 

On Friday, the state topped 4,000 tests for the first time, reporting 4,553 completed. On Saturday, the total new tests fell slightly but remained above 4,000, with a total of 4,178. Those one-day tallies are important because Gov. Tim Walz has said the state needs to test 5,000 people daily as part of the plan to open the economy.

2. Walz extended the stay-at-home order until May 18. 

 of purchases starting Monday. That will put about 30,000 Minnesotans back to work. Dog groomers can head back to work, but dine-in bars and restaurants remain shuttered as do hair salons and barbershops. 

3. Meanwhile, expect a second wave of COVID-19 cases this fall.

 And with no vaccination or herd immunity, the pandemic will last for 18-24 months, according to 

 who recommend governments and health care should plan for a worst-case scenario. The study, published Thursday, outlines how the new coronavirus is behaving more like past influenza pandemics than any coronavirus has to date. One of the researchers, Michael Osterholm, who is the director of the UM Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, told the Star Tribune: “We are learning how to die with this virus and we have to learn how to live with it.”

With our coronavirus-focused AM newsletter 

4. One family’s illnesses suggest the disease may have arrived in Minnesota earlier than first thought. 

A sick Kate Austin came back to Minnesota from Japan in late January.  And her arrival 

. In the coming weeks, Austin’s parents and friends would get sick — with one of them ultimately being diagnosed with COVID-19. The family’s story underscores just how much understanding of coronavirus has changed in a short period of time, and suggests that the virus has been in Minnesota weeks, if not months, longer than tests initially detected. 

5. Vice President Mike Pence visited Mayo Clinic. 

Pence, who leads the White House Coronavirus Task Force, 

 at Mayo’s COVID-19 research and its plans to help the state scale up testing on Tuesday. Pence did not wear a mask during his visit, which 

. The CDC recommends wearing a mask while in public to help prevent transmitting the virus.

Chris Graves

Author

Stay-at-home order extended, some restrictions relaxed as testing ramps up. Next week brings: The fishing season opens and maybe a trip to the dentist.

Evan Frost | MPR News

A graph showing the number of COVID-19 positive cases to date.

David H. Montgomery | MPR News

Evan Frost | MPR News, Pool 

Michael Osterholm, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Glen Stubbe | AP

Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News

Vice President Mike Pence, center, visits Mayo Clinic.

Last week’s top stories and what to expect this week in Minnesota

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