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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday announced new restrictions in an attempt to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the state. The restrictions, which target situations where young people congregate, place limits on gatherings, including restaurants, funerals and wedding receptions.
“I have to be absolutely blunt in Minnesota – we are in the midst of a significant increase in coronavirus cases,” Walz said.
Starting Friday, there will be a 10-person limit for private indoor and outdoor social gatherings that include a maximum of three households, Walz said. Receptions for events such as funerals and weddings will be limited to 50 people as of November 27 and 25 as of December 11 and will be prohibited between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Bars and restaurants will now be limited to 50% of their capacity both indoors and outdoors, with a maximum of 150 people. The catering service will end at 10 p.m., although delivery after this time may continue.
Walz explained his decision by noting that young adults between the ages of 20 and 34 have a “disproportionate” share of cases in the condition and that social interactions have led to the majority of new infections in the condition. Walz said 71% of cases of the spread in the state were in social settings, and noted that contract tracers revealed that the state’s infection rate doubles after 9 p.m.
But Walz stressed that “this is not pointing fingers” at young people, adding that they have been “incredibly proactive” in stemming the spread of the virus.
Walz urged residents to always wear masks and maintain social distancing, even when following the new guidelines. “You have control over where this thing goes,” he said.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported 3,930 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, less than the one day record of 5,924 which was set a day earlier. The update brought the total number of cases in Minnesota to 184,788 since the start of the pandemic.
Data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows outbreaks in restaurants and bars increased dramatically in October and the first five days of November. Sixty-five outbreaks have been traced in bars and restaurants, compared to 30 outbreaks in August and September.
As of June 10, when indoor dining resumed in Minnesota, the health department said there were 117 outbreaks in bars and restaurants, with at least 2,400 confirmed cases linked to those outbreaks. . That’s just under 2% of all cases since then.
Walz announced that he will convene a special session of the Minnesota legislature on Thursday, where he intends to extend the COVID-19 state of peace emergency by 30 days.
Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said on Monday the state was adding more than a dozen free COVID-19 testing sites statewide over the next two weeks. The tests on the sites will be free and accessible to all, whether they are symptomatic or not.
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