(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota bars, restaurants, and breweries will remain closed for indoor dining under Governor Tim Walz’s latest COVID emergency order. The governor says those establishments can open for outdoor service with capacity limitations, but Walz says he realizes this is by no means a solution for the industry as a whole.
Gyms and fitness studios may open for individual exercise at 25 percent capacity, or 100 people maximum, with masks and 12 feet of physical distancing. Youth and adult sports practices can resume January 4th. Minnesotans may have inside social gatherings with one other household up to ten people. If outside, social gatherings may include up to two additional households with a maximum of 15 people starting December 19th. Masking and social distancing is strongly encouraged.
“Devastating” is what Hospitality Minnesota’s Liz Rammer calls Governor Walz’s announcement that indoor dining at bars and restaurants will remain on “pause” through the holiday season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rammer said, “this is a critical time of year as we know for this industry…they get in the black with 40 percent of their sales in some cases coming this time of year, so to extend this further, we have just taken away Christmas for all of these folks.”
Rammer claims the COVID data doesn’t support the governor’s decision. Walz argues that “community spread of COVID is still well above 30 percent in our communities.”
