ST PAUL, Minn. — Department of Administration Commissioner Alice Roberts-Davis said during the daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday that her agency has closed on the purchase of a former grocery distribution warehouse in St. Paul that will be converted into a temporary morgue for COVID-19 victims.
The state paid $5.4 million for the BIX Produce Company cold storage warehouse, and plans upgrades that will raise the total cost to $6.9 million, Roberts-Davis said. The state expects the federal government to cover 75% of the cost.
The goal was to find a place for the “timely, dignified, and temporary storage of human remains” at the peak of the pandemic this summer, when the state's modeling suggests the disease could cause an additional 1,000 deaths per week over four to five weeks, according to the commissioner's funding request. Private and public mortuaries statewide have a surge capacity for only about 2,000 more bodies than they would normally hold, she wrote. The warehouse can hold 5,100.
KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and see what companies in Minnesota are hiring. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here. Help local families in need: www.kare11.com/give11.
The state of Minnesota has set up a hotline for general questions about coronavirus at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
There is also a data portal online at mn.gov/covid19.
