Dear Neighbors,
On Wednesday, Governor Walz announced that the state’s Stay at Home order will expire on Monday, May 18th. Beginning Monday, retail stores, malls, and other main street businesses can reopen if they have a safety plan put in place that will help keep employees and customers safe. These stores will be allowed to operate at no more than 50 percent occupancy. Meanwhile, restaurants, bars, salons, and gyms remain closed for the time being.
In addition to news regarding businesses, the Governor also announced that Minnesotans may gather with friends or family in groups of 10 people or less. According to the governor, "social, civic, community, faith-based, leisure, or religious gatherings are prohibited for groups over 10 people."
Governor Walz indicated that the current plan is for bars, restaurants, salons, and gyms to reopen on June 1st, but we’ll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.
The announcement from the Governor will allow thousands of Minnesota businesses and employees to return to work on Monday and is a step in the right direction as we get our economy going again. Thank you to the thousands of Minnesotans that contacted the Governor’s office to share stories of how this shutdown was impacting you and your family.
Despite the good news for many, I am still concerned for restaurants, salons, fitness clubs, and others in the hospitality industry that will remain closed until at least June 1st. If these businesses can reopen safely, they should be allowed to do so on Monday as well
Additional guidance, including a template plan and checklist for businesses, is available on DEED’s website at mn.gov/deed/safework.
If you would like to read more about the governor's latest orders, you can see the text of each of them here.
Governor Walz Cancels Graduation Ceremonies
I was disappointed to learn about the Walz administration’s move last week to ban graduation ceremonies statewide, regardless of class size or space available for the ceremony. Before this announcement, many school districts had put together creative plans that would have allowed them to hold ceremonies while honoring social distancing guidelines.
I've heard from many constituents and school districts about this, so I signed onto a letter to the Department of Education asking that they rescind these guidelines. You can read that letter here.
Late last night, one of our House Republican education leads, Rep. Ron Kresha, confirmed that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has not and will not create a policy to levy a financial penalty against schools holding graduation ceremonies in person.
Despite this uncertain time, I wish our 2020 graduates all the best!
Staying in Touch
It’s hard to believe that we’re entering the final weekend of the 2020 legislative session. Please continue to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-8237 or via email at rep.brian.daniels@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Brian