Dear Neighbor,
Happy Mother’s Day, please take time this weekend to honor those that provide the gift of life.
Yesterday, the governor announced a timeline for relaxing some of the COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place for the past 14 months.
Effective May 7:
- Capacity limits for outdoor dining, events, and other outdoor get-togethers is ended. Outdoor mask requirement ended except at large venues with over 500 people.
- Bars, restaurants, food and beverage services may return to normal business hours.
Effective May 28th:
- Remaining capacity and distancing limits end, including for indoor events and gatherings.
- Face coverings still required indoors and for outdoor events that exceed 500 people.
- Businesses must maintain plans – per the state’s universal guidance document.
Effective July 1 (or earlier, if 70 percent of Minnesotans age 16 years and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine):
- Remaining face covering requirements and the requirement for preparedness plans end.
It’s a move in the right direction and long overdue. We are long past the time when we should be returning the responsibility to make personal health choices back with individuals and not be dictated to by Saint Paul.
Areas where the governor has not relaxed emergency restrictions yet include:
- The Safe Learning Plan for schools will continue until the end of the school year to protect students, teachers, and staff.
- The eviction moratorium, a ban on price gouging, and eligibility exemptions for people who receive state services remain in place.
During these final 10 days of the legislative session we will chisel out the next two-year state budget from myriad of what I believe are unreasonable proposals. They include raising taxes by billions of dollars while we have billions in surplus dollars available, unilaterally giving California control of our auto emission standards, destroying local electronic-tab charitable gambling and upending our public safety policies with respect to how law enforcement operates.
While we have challenges ahead, I believe that there is enough common sense in both the House and Senate to separate the wheat from the chaff by May 17th when the constitution requires us to adjourn.
It is time to stop using the pandemic as justification for forcing policy changes that simply do not make sense and as an excuse for unbridled excessive government spending and tax increases.
Once again, happy Mother’s Day.
Sincerely,
Dale