No known COVID-19 cases or outbreaks linked to voting in Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - There are no known COVID-19 cases or outbreaks connected to voting or polling places in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
This update comes 14 days after Election Day. According to the CDC, the incubation period for the coronavirus can last up to two weeks.
Voting took place over a span of nearly two months in Minnesota with early in-person voting starting on September 18. The final weekend of early voting before Election Day saw long waits with lines wrapping around buildings. In order to reduce the size of crowds during the pandemic, election officials encouraged voters to vote absentee through the mail, leading to a record amount of more than 1.8 million absentee ballots accepted. For in-person voting, there was increased cleaning at the polling centers and hand sanitizer was available to voters.
In contrast, MDH says there were at least 200 COVID-19 cases in which the patient became ill after attending a Halloween event or gathering. Officials say while it is difficult to determine if those people contracted the virus at the event they attended, they urge Minnesotans to avoid large social gatherings.