A Message From Mayor Frey

These past several days remind many of us of other times of upheaval and disruption like September 11, the 35W bridge collapse, or the North Minneapolis tornado. Today, instead of recovering from a singular event, we are facing an ongoing threat from the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) – one that could last months and impact all of us. The uncertainty of this threat brings varying levels of concern and anxiety for the community and for our families. All of us are aware of that anxiety. We hear about what the rest of the country and world are experiencing, and we want to do something about it. There is a temptation to flip a switch, completely shut down, and “ride out the storm” for the next 30 or 60 days.

Public health research and quality emergency operations planning tells us that it is best not to take dramatic action without it being based on a solid rationale. It is better to gradually move up, and eventually down, a sliding scale or spectrum of actions. In some cases, it may take a few hours to move to the next level of actions, in other cases days. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is leading the statewide response to COVID-19. The City is working closely with MDH and Hennepin County to enhance readiness efforts. Individual departments are working on their continuity of operations and other contingency plans. You will start to see those plans rolled out in a limited manner over the next week. City department heads are meeting and talking several times a day and comparing notes on strategy, and I am personally providing direction in a meeting today at noon. Elected officials are being briefed routinely on the situation.

We are following MDH guidance around public gatherings. While we are not canceling all public meetings at this time, we are recommending that our boards and commissions as well as our community meetings start to adapt to the need for limiting exposure for those identified as vulnerable to the disease and to include social distancing. We will be making decisions on public meetings on a two-week rolling basis. Please expect by Monday, March 16, we will make decisions on official meetings for the next two weeks. Our clerk’s office is leading an effort to continue to have the more essential public meetings occur electronically.

We are also working in close coordination with the Minneapolis Convention Center and Meet Minneapolis to address concerns around public events and with Minneapolis Public Schools to address issues arising from potential school closings that would impact students, working parents and family schedules including internet connectivity.

Together we will get through this difficult time, and we will do right by our families, our loved ones, and our great city.

Yours truly,

Jacob