St. Paul, MN -- Yesterday, Governor Walz announced a new Executive Order, which authorizes the Minnesota National Guard to deliver assistance during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency. The Minnesota National Guard’s initial mission is to transport personal protective equipment (PPE), such as protective face masks, from storage at Camp Ripley to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Executive Order 20-13 helps address the critically low supply of PPE in Minnesota’s hospitals and health care facilities, as well as the delivery delays from the federal government’s Strategic National Stockpile.
State Representative John Huot (DFL-Rosemount), who has been working on legislation to address emergency medical services shortages, issued the following statement:
“Our first responders and health care workers are the front-line defense against COVID-19, working nonstop to keep Minnesotans safe and healthy. They deserve the basic equipment they need to protect themselves while they fight against the virus. I applaud Governor Walz’s executive action to protect these heroes who are fighting for us every day around the clock.”
###