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Today, Governor Walz announced the extension of the “Stay at Home” Executive Order by an additional two weeks, currently setting the end date as Monday, May 18. This includes extending the closures of bars, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation. You can read today’s Executive Order here.
As part of today’s announcement, customer-facing retail stores will be able to operate similar to restaurants, with curbside delivery and pickup, starting on Monday. This isn’t the return to normal that many are hoping for, but it is a pathway to getting back to work for many in our community. Nothing about the COVID-19 pandemic is ideal, but our community has remained resilient, and the results have allowed Minnesota to become a leader in combating this coronavirus.
Starting May 4, retail businesses and other non-critical businesses may begin offering curbside pick-up. This will put up to 30,000 Minnesotans back to work in a safe, coordinated way. Businesses must:
- Develop and publicly post a plan for how to open safely.
- Use online payment whenever possible.
- Employees and customers should wear masks and protective equipment.
- In curbside pick-up scenarios, social distancing guidelines apply. If possible, customers should not leave their vehicle.
- In delivery scenarios, items should be deposited outside a customer’s residence.
In the time Minnesotans have bought by staying home, Minnesota has:
- Announced a landmark testing strategy that will allow us to complete up to 20,000 tests a day and test every symptomatic Minnesotan.
- Built hospital capacity and finalized a lease on an alternate care site to make sure that all Minnesotans who need care can receive it.
- Worked to acquire more personal protective equipment to protect our frontline workers.
Minnesotans should also continue to telework whenever possible, wear face masks in public, screen for symptoms and regularly check their temperature, and maintain physical distance from each other.
Public Input on Elective Surgeries
As the Minnesota Department of Health prepares for the next steps on revising the executive order on elective procedures, they'll be taking public input on the issue until Saturday, May 2, at noon.
Input will be used, along with federal guidance, to better allow for elective procedures to resume safely in Minnesota while maintaining the critical PPE and surge capacity we may need. You can find more information and provide input here.
Don’t forget to join us this evening at 7pm for our Virtual Town Hall. We’ll send out login info before the meeting.
Brad Tabke, State Representative | Rep.Brad.Tabke@house.mn
Eric Petersen, Legislative Assistant | Eric.Petersen@house.mn
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