Just to keep track of the nonsense that has wrecked our economy and generally made our politicians run around as if their fool heads were on fire, each day I publish the corona virus total death toll in the US based upon the latest data I can find. A single death is an immense tragedy if you love the person. However, we are not talking about love, but rather public policy, which should always involve a sober analysis of risk and cost. Please recall that in a bad normal flu year our death toll in the US can be as high as 90,000.
Note: this will be a total death toll since the beginning of this bad farce, and not a daily toll. As of the beginning of June 5 the claimed, as suspect as that claim is, death toll is 110,173. May the Perpetual Light shine upon them.
Governor Walz has graciously allowed churches to have services at half capacity starting next week (increasing from the currently allowed 25% capacity). We will see if any Catholic churches actually do that. There are several churches that haven’t had a single mass since both the state and the various diocese gave the OK. Some churches are not even going to have masses this weekend, with a few not even sure if they will have masses the weekend after that.
So far I can’t anywhere in the state that is allowing more than 25% capacity.
But there is an update in Rochester MN. The churches there had decided that they would all remain closed for the same length of time, out of fear of a church being “overrun” should only one or two open. Now one has announced that the first masses will be allowed on June 20. None of the other churches have announced anything yet so I don’t know if this one is breaking ranks or if they all will open on June 20.
June 20 is a full four Sundays after the diocese and the state allowed public masses.