Minnesota governor to announce new virus restrictions on Tuesday as cases soar

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Gov. Tim Walz said Monday he would announce new shutdown restrictions in Minnesota this week amid an explosion of coronavirus cases in the state.

Walz will give a live speech at 2 p.m. Tuesday, where he plans to go public with the new limits. The governor also said on Monday that state officials would soon deploy a cell phone tracker designed to alert people when they are near someone who tested positive.

The governor also extended his emergency powers in peacetime, calling a special session on Thursday – the sixth of the year. The House and Senate will have the option of terminating Walz’s powers, but that requires votes in both chambers. With party control divided, this is unlikely to happen.

Walz is preparing restrictions on bars, restaurants and other gathering places to target the spread of the coronavirus among young adults, who make up the largest cluster of COVID-19 cases and often have mild or no symptoms.

“Where do young people between the ages of 18 and 35 congregate?” Walz told reporters at the Minneapolis Convention Center, which is home to the state’s newest saliva testing site. “It makes sense for us to target these in a much more surgical and aggressive manner than a statewide home stay order.”

The governor suggested that no new restrictions are imminent for retailers and schools. He said the new restrictions would not constitute another stay-at-home order, like the one the state had from March to May.

State health officials on Monday reported 3,930 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 other deaths. In recent days, Minnesota has reported a record number of deaths and hospitalizations from the virus. On Sunday, Minneosta saw its largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases with nearly 6,000 new cases reported.

Outbreaks in bars and restaurants increased in October, according to data provided by the State Department of Health showing 57 such outbreaks in October after just 18 the month before.

The bar and restaurant industry is worried and awaits the announcement. Hospitality Minnesota, the state’s largest hotel trade group, said Walz should “not unfairly denounce” bars and restaurants over a widespread virus.

“Closing these businesses would only serve to push more people to home gatherings where data shows an increase in the spread of cases,” said Liz Rammer, general manager of Hospitality Minnesota.

Walz acknowledged his decision would face denial and hinted that he might limit the restrictions. For example, state data indicates that most cases of the virus in bars and restaurants occur after 10 p.m., he said.

“We are not a scapegoat for the hospitality industry,” Walz said.

The governor also said it was possible that the new restrictions would not impact retailers.

“At this point, we’ve learned that we can do retail, we can do education – part in person – if we’re able to test, contain and contact these people to isolate them,” said Governor Walz. said.

Minnesota Retail Association president Bruce Nustad says, especially ahead of the busy holiday season, he hopes there won’t be any major changes.

“Hopefully many industries will be able to maintain the good practices they have in place and we can still remedy the spread knowing how to maintain a good economic environment,” Nustad said.

Cell phone tracker

Jan Malcolm, state health commissioner, said Minnesota was weeks away from deploying a cell phone tracker that would alert people when they were near someone who tested positive for the virus .

“We do more than talk,” she says. “We are actually testing.”

A person who tested positive would receive an alert, allowing them to warn everyone – anonymously – who are within six feet of them. The person can refuse to send the message and the recipients will not be able to see who has tested positive.

Walz said it had been “quite successful” in other countries that have used the technology, and said it would be “completely anonymous” to avoid privacy concerns.