Gov. Tim Walz said he needs more time to decide whether bars, restaurants, gyms and other gathering spots will remain closed after the restrictions expire next Friday.
An announcement on the restrictions was initially expected to come at Walz’s Friday afternoon press briefing.
“Just candidly on this, I think that data is still coming in,” Walz said. “I am not comfortable making that decision today because the data is still coming in from the pause.”
Minnesota is finishing the third week of the restrictions, which also closed entertainment venues and limited social gathers to household members only. It’s also been two weeks since the Thanksgiving holiday.
Daily counts of new cases have dropped significantly from record highs in late November, suggesting that affected businesses could possibly reopen. But Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said it was too early to determine trends.
“It really takes a full four weeks to see the full effect,” Malcolm said. “We have all gotten used to these high numbers and we have been very grateful that these increases have slowed.”
“This is still an extremely high rate of the virus,” she cautioned.
However, Walz said reopening options are on the table, including possibly allowing bars and restaurants to open at 25% of capacity.
“We are trying to consider everything,” he said. “There are a whole lot of things we are thinking about.”
The Legislature is negotiating an economic relief package that could help some businesses most affected by the pandemic. It will be taken up at a special session scheduled for Monday.
Walz said that the fate of the mitigation measures was not part of the negotiations.
This is a developing story. Check startribune.com for updates.
Glenn Howatt • 612-673-7192