- October 2, 2021
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Sounding an optimism not heard before, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday announced the easing of a host of coronavirus restrictions that will allow some sectors to reopen to levels not seen in months, or in some cases, since before the pandemic.
“We’re winning, and this thing is coming to an end,” Walz said in remarks that budded with the vernal hopes of baseball, weddings and walleye fishing.
Citing falling COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths amid rising vaccinations, Walz and other top officials released new guidance, starting Monday, relaxing rules for social gatherings, fitness centers, hair salons, bars and restaurants, religious gatherings, and entertainment venues, including youth sports competitions and professional sports stadiums.
The easing, announced one year after Walz declared a state of emergency and began shuttering swaths of commerce and society, will come in phases. The first will start Monday, with successive easings taking effect in April, culminating with removing the work-from-home requirement April 15.
The news, while welcomed by many, including business groups, sports teams and some political foes, was nonetheless tempered by reminders that the pandemic is not over. The vast majority of Minnesotans remain unvaccinated and more dangerous variants are spreading.
Mask wearing and physical distancing will still be required throughout society, and officials urged that regular testing, especially for students, athletes and those who frequently interact with others, will remain an essential tool to ensure that the long-awaited path to normalcy remains clear.
And, they stressed, everyone should get vaccinated when their turn comes.
The following take effect at noon Monday, March 15.
The following take effect April 1.
Beginning April 15, the requirement that anyone who can work from home must work from home will be lifted “but it will continue to be strongly recommended,” according to the announcement. “All employers should continue to accommodate employees who wish to work from home.”
Walz, who was joined by Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and Commissioner Steve Grove of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, did not provide details on what might factor into an employer’s decision to allow workers back into their buildings.
Republican lawmakers, many of whom have been critical of Walz’s restrictions, generally welcomed the news, but renewed their calls for more involvement in such decisions.
“It’s positive news except – it’s only his hand on the dial,” said Senate Majority Leader Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake. “My hope is that this latest benchmark of 70% of people over age 65 vaccinated is the time to end emergency powers.”
Walz said on he plans to renew his emergency powers Monday.
“Let’s take our wins everyone. This is a good day,” said state Rep. Dave Baker, R-Willmar, at a news conference. Still, Baker and others are pushing for Walz to set a clearer roadmap for what the continued emergence from restrictions will look like by creating mileposts, based on data, at 30-day intervals.
The Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, a group that represents bars, said they were hoping for more flexibility, since many bars can’t reach 75 percent capacity and still keep groups far enough apart.
“Minnesotans now deserve a clear and transparent plan to fully reopen our state,” Executive Director Tony Shesak said. “Governor, if other states can develop detailed reopening plans with health-based metrics, dates, and other milestones, why can’t Minnesota?”
The new guidance released Friday don’t mention the later spring or summer. Walz and Malcolm emphasized that the next several weeks will be telling in how much — or how little — the growing spread of more-infectious variants actually leads to cases of serious illness and deaths.
Nonetheless, Walz said that most experts believe the greater likelihood is that, with 72 percent of senior citizens vaccinated, Minnesota will be able to weather any coming increase in cases from the variants. On Thursday, he indicated that he expects more restrictions will likely fall.
“I think that proms that happen into May and certainly graduations in June or wherever they’re looking at, I certainly envision that those will look pretty close to normal,” he said. “We’ll probably have folks gather, there may be a little distancing and masks, but there will certainly be larger crowds than we’ve seen … unless we see the variants come roaring back.”
When asked whether Minnesotans should expect to be able to travel and book lodging for the May 15 opening day of fishing for walleye, pike and most major game fish, he responded, “I don’t see why not.”
Malcolm acknowledged that the looser restrictions will inherently carry more risk of infection, most pointedly for those who have not been vaccinated or previously infected.
“The only reason we’re able to make this forward progress today is because we know how to manage the risk,” Malcolm said, referring not only to hospital care but to the bedrock of dealing with the virus: keeping our distance from each other and wearing masks when indoors or close together with strangers or the unvaccinated.
It was a sentiment echoed by Dr. Marilyn Peitso, president of the Minnesota Medical Association,
“We still have a long way to go – nearly 80 percent of our fellow Minnesotans still need to be vaccinated,” Peitso said in a statement. “The virus variants that have been found in the state and across the country demand caution and have the potential to slow and even reverse our progress.”
Using a football analogy, Malcolm said the state was on the 20-yard line, driving toward the end zone.
“Let’s not fumble the ball now,” she said.
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