6-5-2020 COVID-19 Update – Governor Walz Loosens Restaurant Restrictions
MN Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Update for 6-5-2020
Read the 6-3-2020 COVID-19 Update from the Minnesota Department of Health Here
TODAY: Governor Walz Announced Next Steps in State’s Response to COVID-19
MN Governor Walz:
- Will lift some restrictions on indoor dining, restaurants will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity starting Wednesday, June 10.
- “We can’t get complacent and we can’t get lazy,” said Walz on reopening.
- Fitness centers will be allowed to operate 25% capacity with no more than 250 people starting June 10
- Indoor entertainment at movie theaters and other venues also allowed to open at 25% capacity, up to 250 people
- Swimming pools also allowed to reopen at 50% capacity.
Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm:
- Last two weeks there have been “kind of plateau” in cases with “small waves.”
- 26,980 confirmed cases since beginning of pandemic (up 712); 1,148 MN deaths since pandemic began (up 33 since day prior);
- 478 COVID-19 patients hospitalized (220 in ICU)
- Statewide, “we’re in good shape for critical care capacity.”
- Discourages complacency, social distancing remains very important.
- COVID-19 testing is recommended for protesters, 5 to 7 days after participating in mass gatherings.
- Conducted 11,000 tests Thursday. Goal is get up over 20,000 per day.
- MN toward top of the states in testing per 10,000 people. (currently at 96 per 10,000). State doesn’t want to get lower than 50 per 10,000 people per week.
- Can’t predict in confidence what will happen in next couple months.
- “We have to learn to live with COVID-19,” said Malcolm. Vaccine a long ways away
- Believes further reopenings will increase risk of spread
- Won’t see full impact from recent protest in 2 to 3 weeks.
Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove:
- Says MN DEED working to help businesses affected by riots, working to get funding from federal Small Business Association
- “We are not going back to normal,” says Grove. Re-emphasizes wearing masks in public.
- Social distancing requirements come first.
- Strongly encourages restaurant customers to wear masks, reservations required.
- Hair salons and barber shop can up capacity to 50%.
- Places of worship can up capacity to 50%. (was previously 25%)
- Gym customers encouraged to wear masks when feasible
- Outdoor entertainment, 250 people max.
- Reopening pools, health guidelines show virus is not spread through water.
- Low-risk contact sports can do games.
- High-risk close-contact sports (such as basketball) can’t do games.
- Encourages those who can work from home to continue to do so.
- Minnesota’s unemployment insurance program will transition to federal help. Says there will be no interruptions in benefits.
Full Phase III Details Per Press Release from Gov. Walz Administration:
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- Restaurants can begin offering indoor dining while maintaining social distancing, requiring reservations, and seating no more than 50 percent occupancy.
- Indoor social gatherings can take place with 10 people or less; outdoor social gatherings can take place with 25 people or less.
- Gyms, personal fitness and yoga studios, and martial arts may open at 25 percent capacity.
- Indoor entertainment venues, such as theaters and concert halls, can open at 25 percent capacity.
- Recreational indoor entertainment venues, such as bowling alleys, arcades, and museums may open at 25 percent capacity.
- Personal services, such as salons, tattoo parlors, and barbershops, may increase occupancy rates to 50 percent while requiring reservations.
- Outdoor entertainment venues, such as sporting events, concerts, and theaters may open at 25 percent capacity.
- Places of worship can increase occupancy rates to 50 percent.
Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero:
- Minnesota Department of Human Rights filed civil civil rights charge against Minneapolis Police Department
- Emergency court action and an agreed proposed court order details immediate structural changes that the MPD must implement:
- Under the proposed court order, the city of Minneapolis agrees to the following terms:
- Chokeholds are immediately banned
- Police officers have a duty to report and intervene if another officer utilizes an unauthorized use of force
- The use of crowd control weapons during protests and demonstrations may only be approved by the chief of police
- Timely and transparent discipline decisions for police officers must be made
- Body camera footage may be audited by the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department
- Under the proposed court order, the city of Minneapolis agrees to the following terms:
Addressing COVID-19 Inequities
- Black people make up more than than 6% of Minnesota’s population, but more than 20% of its COVID-19 hospitalizations.
- Higher rates of chronic health problems have contributed to disparity, rates of diabetes and hypertension are higher among blacks in MN.
- All state agencies must translate COVID-19 materials in multiple languages, including Hmong and Somali
Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington:
- “We’ve had some good nights keeping the peace”
- MN National Guard will still be working, but will start demobilizing
- Doesn’t see need for further curfews
- MN field of offices of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) and FBI ramping up investigations into all the arsons, looting
- Will now work to shift to cleaning up and reopening businesses
Q&A Session, Notes:
- This puts MN into one of the more open states on how things are going.
- Reason for 250 cap? Prevent even larger gatherings from happening. If you can’t be 6 feet apart, numbers have to be lower.
- 50% capacity at churches also pertain to funerals and memorial services.
- On organized sports, what are low-risk and high-risk? Grove: Tennis: lower risk. 5-on-5 basketball higher risk. Baseball also higher risk. Conversations continue about professional sports.
- Governor: It would be naive for us to think we’re not in a unique moment in regards to the George Floyd protests. Trying to strike balance.
- Denying parts of George Floyd Memorial Service, such as singing, would have been difficult.
- Are long-term care cases declining? Malcolm: Yes, there is evidence of progress.
- Differences in clinics testing, some asymptomatic people could not get tested, such as protesters and reporters. Walz “That should not happen.” Malcom: says sometimes guidance slow to trickle to clinics. It’s regrettable people who attended rallies could not get tested.
- Walz says he, himself, will get tested
- What about wedding receptions? Would follow same guidelines issued to church and non-church settings.
- Why not open economy up 100%? Walz: That’s not where the science is at. State epidemiologist in Sweden is under a lot of fire for reopening up too soon. We have 90 days of data on this.
- Mentioned University of Minnesota thinking about in-person classes in the fall.
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