COVID-19 Update March 25, 2020
Video Update
Dear Constituents and Friends,
As you may have already heard, in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 across the state, Governor Tim Walz today signed additional executive orders directing Minnesotans to stay at home and limit movements outside of their home beyond essential needs.
Executive Order 20-20 takes effect at 11:59pm on Friday, March 27 and ends at 5:00pm on Friday, April 10.
Minnesotans may leave their residences only to perform any of the following activities:
- Health and safety activities
- Outdoor activities
- Necessary Supplies and Services
- Essential and interstate travel
- Care of others
- Displacement
- Relocation to ensure safety
Workers who provide critical services to the people of Minnesota at this time are exempt. The exemptions are based on federal guidance:
- Healthcare and public health
- Law enforcement, public safety, and first responders
- Child care
- Food and agriculture
- News media
- Energy
- Water and wastewater
- Critical manufacturing
This step will provide a delay in the peak of infections which will in turn increase time to buy critical time to further prevent the spread by:
- Building out hospital capacity
- Increasing access to ventilators
- Increasing testing
- Addressing shortage of PPE for healthcare workers
- Plan for how to care for vulnerable populations
- Assess new data as it comes in to determine which parts of our strategy are working, and which are not
Workers who work in critical sectors during this time are exempt from the stay at home order. These exemptions are based on federal guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with some Minnesota-specific additions.
To learn more about who is considered a critical worker, please visit the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s website.
If you have questions, you can also email CriticalSectors@state.mn.us.
In addition, Governor Walz signed:
Executive Order 20-18 requiring the closures of bars and restaurants to be extended until May 1, 2020
Executive Order 20-19 authorizing and directing the Commissioner of Education to implement a distance learning period until May 4, 2020
Link to Governor Walz’s press conference today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OT5PaxGKvU
Link to Governor Walz’s press release: https://mn.gov/governor/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/424820
Link to answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the stay at home order: https://mn.gov/governor/covid-19/faq.jsp
Link to the most up to date information on Governor Walz’s executive orders: https://mn.gov/governor/news/executiveorders.jsp
The legislature is reconvening tomorrow to address the growing concerns of Minnesotans by voting on additional relief measures. I will provide in-depth information about the omnibus bill after we adjourn.
Please continue to be in touch through email at melisaf@senate.mn or by phone at 651-296-6238 with any questions or concerns you have. Thank you to everyone who has reached out already.
Sincerely,
Melisa