Minnesota Starts Reopening Monday: 5 Things To Know

TWIN CITIES, MN —Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday that when his Stay Home order expires Monday, he will not extend it. However, when the Stay Home order ends, Walz plans to replace it with a new order that brings back more social interactions. The new order will be titled "Stay Safe MN."

Here are five things to know about Wednesday's announcement:

1. Small gatherings will be allowed

Minnesotans will still be asked to stay close to home and limit travel to what is essential. But the state will allow gatherings with friends and family in groups of 10 or less with social distancing. In all cases, Minnesotans are asked not to gather in large groups.

All gatherings are limited to 10 and social distancing with masks, hand-washing and other safety measures should be followed to protect each other, Walz's office said.

2. More retail can reopen

On Monday, Walz will allow retail stores, malls, and main street businesses to reopen for in-person shopping as long as they have a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in place that incorporates social distancing protocols for workers and customers and limits occupancy to no more than 50 percent of the establishment's occupant capacity.

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The Department of Employment & Economic Development estimates that this action will enable up to 37,000 more workers to safely return to work over the next several weeks, according to a news release.

3. Bars, restaurants, barbershops, and salons cannot yet reopen fully

Walz plans to direct his cabinet to assemble similar guidance on how to safely reopen bars, restaurants, barbershops, and salons beginning June 1. However, until then, only takeout and pickup is allowed.

4. Peacetime emergency continues

Walz has also extended his peacetime emergency authority until June 12.

Extending the peacetime emergency in Minnesota allows the governor to "keep his toolbox open so he can take critical, swift action to protect Minnesotans," Walz's office said. "Being in a peacetime state of emergency has allowed Minnesota to: enhance protections for veterans in our veterans homes; activate the National Guard to assist in relief efforts; provide economic relief and stability to those impacted by the pandemic; and more."

5. Restrictions could be reimposed

Walz announced a preliminary set of health indicators that could trigger a decision to reimpose restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. They include the number of COVID-19 tests that can be conducted as well as the rate of increase in:

• Number of new COVID-19 cases
• Percent of COVID-19 tests that are positive
• Percent of COVID-19 cases for which the source of infection is unknown