ST. PAUL, Minn. – State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says Minnesota is “walking the edge of a cliff” as new cases of COVID-19 are on the rise.

Malcolm says she spoke over the weekend with Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus advisory group and Dr. Birx expressed strong concerns about what’s going on in Minnesota.

State health officials are reporting 679 new cases Monday and say new cases are increasing faster than the rate of testing. Malcolm says testing is up 7.6% and new cases are up 7.9%.

Malcolm says Dr. Birx was specifically concerned that the Twin Cities is not seeing a decline in cases the way most metro areas around the country are. Malcolm says Minnesotans traveling to other parts of the country and bringing the coronavirus back with them and people not wearing masks or practicing social distancing at private gatherings seem to be fueling the rise of COVID cases in the state.

Malcolm says it is very important to stop the rise of coronavirus cases before the arrival of fall and winter means less sunshine and more people spending more time inside, both factors that could promote the spread of COVID-19.