Legislative Update from Rep. Brian Daniels

Dear Neighbors,

On Wednesday, Governor Walz announced that he will extend shutdowns and restrictions of Minnesota businesses into the New Year, including a full shutdown of bars and restaurants indoor dining, and continued restrictions on youth sporting events.

This extension comes at a time when case counts have been trending downward for several weeks and the “data” and “science” don’t seem to support more restrictions.

In fact, according to the data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), as of last month there were just 2,766 cases tied to restaurants and bars since March — .7% of the cases statewide. In addition, the governor will continue to keep pools closed at hotels and gyms despite there being zero known cases of transmission.

Insultingly, restaurants are allowed to have outdoor dining even though we are in the middle of winter and most establishments do not have heaters and the infrastructure needed to keep customers comfortable in the cold. In theory, these restaurants would need to spend thousands of dollars in improvements to make this happen.

I called the Governor’s office yesterday and shared with Governor Walz my frustrations and the frustrations of so many in our community. The lack of respect and communication from the Governor is appalling and further illustrates the need to end the peacetime emergency so that the Governor and legislature can work together to manage the pandemic.

Below are the details on the latest executive order that take effect on Friday:

• Social gatherings – Expanded slightly; limited to two households with no more than 10 ppl. Outdoor, no more than three households and 15 people. 
• Gyms/fitness centers - 25% capacity up to 100 patrons. Expanding physical space to 12 feet. Masks at all times. No group classes until January 4th. Pools closed. Showers closed. Locker rooms can be used as long as 6 ft maintained. 
• Bars/Restaurants - extending closure for dine-in until January 10. Outdoor dining will be allowed until 10PM, no more than 4 people per table and 6 feet apart.
• Outdoor entertainment - Allowed to open with limited capacity of up to 25%. 
• Sports - January 4th youth sports can resume practice, but no games and no date set on when games can resume.
• Education – In person classes for elementary students may begin on a rolling basis starting January 4th through January 18^th. Schools can make decisions locally and education staff will be tested every other week. Families may choose to continue distance learning.

Please continue to do everything you can to support small businesses in our area. These folks provide goods and services to us all and employ our friends, families, and neighbors. They are the engines that make our local economy run.

Staying in Touch

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my office to share your thoughts and concerns regarding state government. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-8237 or via email at rep.brian.daniels@house.mn.

Have a great weekend,

Brian