Restrictions Ending
After more than 14 months of restrictions, the end is finally in sight. Thanks to the quick vaccine development pushed forward by American ingenuity and the Trump Administration, even the Governor can now see it is time to return to normal.
The Governor does this in three phases with a July 1 end date but the possibility of it being sooner by hitting a vaccine rate of 70% of the population. By giving a target date, this allows businesses to ramp up and be prepared for a return to normal. It also helps people to schedule and decreases their anxiety.
Three Phases of Reopening:
May 7 Step one takes place at noon on May 7. It includes initial steps to relax some restrictions, primarily in outdoor settings.
- Removes limits for outdoor dining, events, and other get-togethers, and ends the mask requirement outdoors except at large venues with over 500 people.
- Eliminates the state-established mandatory closing time for bars, restaurants, and food and beverage service at other places of public accommodation.
May 28
The second step begins on May 28. Remaining capacity and distancing limits will come to an end, including for indoor events and gatherings. The requirements that will remain include:
- Face coverings indoors and for outdoor events that exceed 500 people.
- There will be no new safety requirements for businesses, though they must maintain their plans to keep their employees and customers safe – as they have from the beginning of the pandemic – guided only by a minimal universal state guidance document.
July 1 The third step takes place once 70 percent of Minnesotans age 16 years and older – 3,087,404 Minnesotans – get at least one dose of the vaccine, but no later than July 1.
- The remaining face covering requirement and the requirement for preparedness plans will end. Work on vaccines will continue, and local jurisdictions and entities may set their own mask policies.
This plan, while I argue it is more gradual than necessary, shows even the Governor recognizes the emergency is over. He has gone as far as saying the State Fair will be "pretty close to normal," signaling we are past the need for his emergency powers to be an obstacle to getting a budget deal done.
We have made numerous good-faith attempts at ending the powers in a gradual fashion as well as voting at least 18 times to end the powers — it's now clear the only reason to keep these powers in place is to use as a bargaining chip. It's time to end the powers and get back to normal in Minnesota.
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