Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that he will allow stores to reopen and let Minnesotans leave the house more, while leaving in place for now restrictions for bars, restaurants, theaters, hair salons and other businesses where people must be in close contact.
The policy changes, delivered in a livestreamed address, means many small businesses and retailers can open their doors to customers Monday, as long as they have a plan to safeguard employees and customers through social distancing.
Bars, restaurants, barbershops and salons could open as early as June 1 if they meet safe opening plans that will be devised later this month by state health officials.
“The stay-at-home order is expiring and the dials are turning, but that doesn’t mean we are carefree and can return to the way things were,” Walz said. “It means we have to stay safe, take care, care for our own health and care for our neighbor.”
It’s a significant step in the governor’s response to the virus, loosening a stay-at-home order after nearly two months of restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. But it’s not a wholesale reopening of the state.
Schools are already closed for the rest of the academic year, and a separate order closing events and businesses where people are in close contact will continue, as will restrictions on other public spaces and large religious services. Anyone who can work from home must, and gatherings — including those at churches, mosques and synagogues — must not exceed 10 people.
Essentially this means we can leave our houses but we can't really go anywhere.
It still rankles me that small retail shops aren't receiving the same courtesy as your bigger retailers like Target or Walmart. Thus far there haven't been any reports of major outbreaks resulting from shopping at the aforementioned retail giants. And kudos to them, as I understand they're implementing the necessary steps to ensure all machinery, carts, etc. are continuously disinfected (though social distancing still seems to be a challenge). With that said, shouldn't we be able to trust the proprietors of small shops to enact those same protocols? It would seem they'd have an easier time ensuring they'd be followed properly.
In the aftermath of this announcement, a good number of folks in the libertarian conservative camp felt this decision solved little to nothing in terms of citizens being able to do as they desire. But there was a progressive faction on social media which felt Walz was caving to the "OPEN UP NOW!" crowd, almost implying he'd taken on a "Don't Tread on Me" persona. I have to admit that was highly amusing. If I've learned anything however, social media isn't exactly the best indicator of society at large.
Me personally, I'm just grateful that we're taking a step forward even though I personally won't change a whole lot from remaining in my home 90% of the time. I hope and pray that we'll have some sense of normalcy before summer ends.
-----------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment