Minnesota Legislature OKs Protection for Front-Line Workers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota lawmakers have passed legislation to ensure first responders and health care workers who catch the coronavirus qualify for workers compensation, even if they can't prove they caught it at work.

The House passed the bill 130-4 and the Senate sent it to the governor unanimously. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the virus. A doctor's diagnosis of COVID-19 without a test to confirm it will be acceptable.

Minnesota's count of infections meanwhile surpassed 1,000. Health officials have reported 83 new cases, taking the state's total to 1,069. There have been four new deaths, for a total of 34.