Minneosta reached a special point in the battle against COVID-19 on Monday. For the first time since last April 13 last year, the state recorded no new deaths due to the virus.

There’s still a long, long way to go before the battle against COVID-19 is over, but this is an encouraging sign of progress. At its peak in December and January, COVID was claiming 50, 60, 70 lives a day or more. The peak was 101 on Nov. 27, 2020.

We expect there will be more deaths in the future. But we should all do what we can to prevent the continued spread of the disease. First of all, get vaccinated as soon as you can. Keep wearing your face masks in public, observe social distancing and avoid large gatherings. Wash your hands frequently and sanitize frequently touched areas.

We know it’s aggravating to have to wear masks, to restrict our movements, to avoid seeing friends and family we haven’t seen for a while, to forego celebrations and ceremonies. But if we truly care about others, we should do what we can to keep them safe.