Robust Number Of Factors Considered In Reopening State: Officials

MINNESOTA – Gov. Tim Walz is expected to hold a news conference Thursday to address his current Stay Home order, which is set to run through this weekend. But as Walz and other state leaders consider what re-opening the state and businesses across Minnesota may look like amid a global pandemic, conversations continue to ensure that the process remains based on the best information officials have to work with.

Steve Grove, the commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development said Wednesday that business leaders have been continuing to look at how the state’s business community can begin to rebound from the coronavirus crisis after experiencing financial hardships while struggling to know how to keep their doors open.

Speaking in Worthington, Waltz said that ending his Stay Home order would be futile, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. But he did indicate that small businesses should have the right to reopen as long as they maintain social distancing guidelines and have safety procedures in place. On Wednesday, Best Buy announced it would open 200 stores on an appointment-only basis as it begins to move toward re-opening. Small businesses, Grove said, should have the same opportunity.

Safety remains key, the governor said.

“The surest way we get this economy back going again,” Walz said, according to the Star Tribune, “is we make sure people feel safe and secure.”

Minnesota’s workforce has also experienced its share of stress as the state has received 546,690 applications for unemployment insurance since the pandemic began and nearly 18,000 applications just this week, Grove said. The department receives 5,000 calls per day with the average wait time pushing one hour.

Meanwhile, as certain businesses that are considered essential consider how they will move toward full operations, Grove said that that the state’s small business community must remain in wait and see mode. Grove said that it will be sometime before life returns to “anything compared to normal” but that business and health leaders continue to work toward viable solutions.

He said that he sympathizes with small business owners and said that his department is trying to be fair to them while relying on science and national guidance for next steps. Grove said his office has attempted to make as much information available about Small Business Administration relief loans and other funding that could assist small business owners across the state.

On Wednesday, a group of 15 small businesses announced it is suing the state of Minnesota and is challenging the legality of legality of Walz’s statewide order to close non-essential businesses – a move that attorneys for the group claim is unconstitutional.

“We can mitigate the risks of COVID-19 while still respecting the rights of our citizens and preserving our crucial small businesses,” Dan McGrath, spokesman for the group, which calls itself the Free Minnesota Small Business Coalition, said in a news release posted on the group’s website.

The suit alleges that the governor’s executive orders affect small business that are not tailored to meet a “compelling state purpose” and an attorney for the group said that Walz has "lost his constitutional compass" in sailing the state through the coronavirus pandemic.

The current stay home order is set to expire on Monday, but the order has already been extended twice. Officials on Wednesday’s media call gave no indication of what Walz would announce on Thursday. Grove declined to comment on the group’s claims of unconstitutionality on Wednesday’s call.

When asked what guidance they have given the governor about the status of the Stay At Home order, officials say they have appreciated Walz’s willingness to involve so many agencies in his decision-making. Jan Malcolm, the Minnesota Department of Health commissioner, said MDH provides Walz with data and analysis of trend it sees with the pandemic.

“(Walz) is perfectly mindful of the fact that we are in growth phase of the pandemic and we’re going to see more cases and unfortunately, we’re going to see more deaths,” Malcolm said. “So his decisions are informed by knowing where we are in the epidemic but also knowing what our strategies are to manage that rate of growth.”

Grove said the state has worked hard to get financial safety nets, such as federally funded Payroll Protection Program loans in place for small business owners to take advantage of. While he acknowledges that business owners would rather be working than being forced to apply for loans to help sustain them through the pandemic, he said it was important for the state to make these programs available.

As Walz considers his next steps, Grove said there is a “robust number of factors” that are being applied to turning the dial toward reopening.