Thursday, May 14

Last night, Governor Walz addressed the COVID-19 situation in the state. You can watch the event on YouTube. Citing progress made to prepare for the peak of infection, the governor announced a measured, cautious turning of the dials toward a new normal. With the stay-at-home order set to expire on May 18, the governor replaced it with a "stay safe" order continuing to encourage Minnesotans to stay close to home (Executive Order 20-56) but allowing for gatherings of friends and family of 10 people or less. The governor will also open retail stores and other main street businesses if they have a social distancing plan and operate at 50% occupancy.

"We’re not flipping a switch and everything’s going back to normal at once,” Gov. Walz said in his address.

Also late Wednesday, the governor signed an order to extend the peacetime emergency authority (Executive Order 20-53), which serves as the foundation for other response measures, through June 12. Gov. Walz also issued an order (Executive Order 20-54) to bar retaliation against employees who don’t feel safe in their workplaces. The order says workers would qualify for unemployment if they felt at risk of contracting COVID-19.

What is and is not changing with this order

The "Stay Safe Minnesota" order replaces the stay-at-home order, which expires May 18. Here are the main guidelines that are staying the same or changing with the new order:

• Employees will continue to work from home whenever possible. Any worker who can work from home must do so.
• Travel should still be for essential trips only. Minnesotans are encouraged to stay close to home and are strongly discouraged from engaging in unnecessary travel.
• Retail stores, malls, and other businesses can reopen for in-person shopping if they have social distancing in place for workers and customers and operate at 50% occupant capacity.
• Group gatherings of 10 or fewer people, including at places of worship, will be permitted once again. People are still asked to maintain six feet of distance from others.
• Gov. Walz has directed his agencies to come up with ways to safely reopen bars, restaurants, barbershops, and salons starting June 1. He expects to have guidelines by May 20. In the meantime:
  • Restaurants remain takeout-only; dining in is still not allowed.
  • Bars and gyms remain closed.
  • Salons and barbershops are allowed to sell products for curbside pickup but aren't allowed to provide services in-shop.
• This does not change anything about schools for the year. Distance learning will continue through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

Even as he announced the end of the stay-at-home order, Gov. Walz pleaded with Minnesotans to stay smart about being safe. We are counting on people to work from home if possible, wear masks when out in public, stay 6 feet from others even when you’re in groups of 10 or fewer, and get tested if you show symptoms of COVID-19.

Looking ahead, if conditions worsen, Gov. Walz indicated he may reinstate previous restrictions to combat the spread of the virus.

What this means for the Met Council

For us at the Met Council, these updates do not prompt any immediate changes to our workplace behavior, services, or operations. 

• Those who are teleworking will continue to do so for several more weeks as we monitor the situation and finalize plans that accommodate distanced working conditions in our workspaces.
• Large-group gatherings (more than 10 people) are still not permitted. We will continue to conduct large meetings and outreach events virtually.
• At work sites, we will continue to practice safe physical distancing, mask usage, and hygiene and cleaning procedures.

With more Minnesotans moving about in public, we do anticipate changes to transit service and are putting plans together to ensure physical distancing and safety on transit. As we build our plans for issues like changes to service and workplace arrangements, the goal is always to make sure we are preventing the spread of COVID-19. 

We will continue to keep you updated on any changes to Met Council plans, policies, or procedures. Thank you for all you are doing to continue meeting the needs of our region – and supporting your coworkers – during this tough time. We will get through this together.