What’s new?

Nationwide campaign

A coalition of 60 top hospitals and health care institutions have joined forces in a nationwide campaign to encourage adults to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Drinking water is a growing concern, especially for private well owners in southeast Minnesota. As part of the “We Are Water MN” campaign, free water testing for nitrates will be available at 125 Live in Rochester on May 6, 2021 for those living in households that rely on private or shared well systems and the water quality at their kitchen sink.

Olmsted County property owners continue to deal with the many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, some taxpayers may have difficulty meeting the May 17, 2021 deadline for the first half payment of 2021 property taxes. To provide some property tax relief during this difficult time, the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners approved a one-time temporary abatement of the penalty and interest for late property tax payments. This will extend the date that late payment penalties begin to accrue from May 17 to July 15, 2021.

What’s new?

Variants

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) is closely monitoring variants of concern (VOC). These variants have mutations that alter the characteristics and cause the virus to act differently in ways that are significant to public health (e.g., causes more severe disease, spreads more easily between humans, requires different treatments, changes the effectiveness of current vaccines).

Local MRC volunteers have worked 95 shifts equaling nearly 450 hours at the Graham Park Collaborative Testing Site and our vaccination clinics. The number of shifts and hours contributed continues to grow each week.