Dear Northlanders,

The COVID-19 situation continues to evolve rapidly and over the past week, and our day-to-day lives as Minnesotans have changed significantly. Some of the changes have highlighted larger challenges in our state, like the lack of high-speed broadband for families, schools, and businesses. There’s also currently no law on the books prohibiting price gouging of certain goods and services, and we’ve heard stories about consumers being charged unthinkable prices for items like hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and food. Today Governor Walz issued an executive order banning this unscrupulous activity during this crisis. If you see an instance of price gouging, please report it to the Attorney General’s office.

To ensure we’re meeting social distancing guidelines, the Legislature is currently on a temporary recess, but we are on-call to return so we can consider legislation addressing COVID-19. While many of us are not at the Capitol, we’re still working to protect both Minnesotans’ health and their economic wellbeing. State Representatives are working on a number of measures including licensing extensions and flexibility for businesses, ensuring hourly school workers get compensated if they miss work, a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the crisis, a capital investment bill and more. I encourage you to continue sharing your input with me or contacting me if I can be of assistance in any way. My email is rep.rob.ecklund@house.mn and my phone number is 651-296-2190.

Here’s an update on recent developments.

Emergency Investments in Health Care

Early Tuesday morning, the Minnesota House and Senate unanimously approved a $200 million package of emergency health care response resources. The legislation creates an emergency and long-term grant program designed to respond to the needs of health care and long-term care facilities.

The funds could be used to help plan, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 in a range of ways, including:

• the establishment and operation of temporary sites to provide testing services, treatment beds, or to isolate or quarantine affected people
• staff overtime, the hiring of additional staff, and training or orientation
• expenses related to the isolation or quarantine of staff

You can read more about these new investments here.

Today, Governor Walz issued a pair of executive orders (20-11 and 20-12) to give the Department of Human Services and their partner organizations to ensure that services for people with disabilities, mental health support, childcare, housing, and other critical public health programs and services can continue during this crisis.

Closing Gathering Places

Earlier this week, Governor Walz issued an executive order directing many businesses where people gather to temporarily close their doors in Minnesota. These include restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms, museums, and many others. This was an unquestionably tough decision for the Governor to make, and as a result, workers and business owners alike are facing an uncertain economic situation for themselves and their families. As challenging as this step is, it highlights what’s at stake for us to take this epidemic seriously.

To those whose employment has been impacted by these measures, I highly encourage you to look into Minnesota’s unemployment benefits, which you can find and apply for here. To help Minnesotans receive relief quicker, Governor Walz signed an executive order eliminating the normal one-week waiting period for benefits.

It should be noted that many restaurants are able to continue business through take-out, curbside delivery, or drive-thru methods. If you’re able, consider supporting a local business for dinner sometime in the near future.

School Closures

The Governor declared that all schools in Minnesota be closed from March 18 through March 27 to allow school staff, teachers, and administrators to plan for the next steps during this pandemic. They are receiving guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Health on how to make sure Minnesota’s students are able to continue their studies during this pandemic. 

During this time, schools will be required to provide care for elementary-age children of health care professionals, first responders, and other emergency workers during previously planned school days to ensure Minnesota’s first line of defense against COVID-19 can stay on the job. It also makes provisions for the continuity of mental health services and requires schools to continue providing meals to students in need.

If you have any questions on school closures or child care, please make use of the numbers and link below:

• Call 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504 (7am-7pm daily)
• Visit www.education.mn.gov 
• Child care providers with questions should call 1-888-234-1268 

Assistance for Small Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration is working on approval for a Disaster Loan assistance program for Minnesota businesses impacted by COVID-19. This program would provide small businesses and private nonprofits loans of up to $2 million to provide vital economic support to help small businesses overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. 

Loan applications will be available soon. For the latest information, call the SBA's disaster assistance customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 or visit the COVID-19 section of their website.

Stay Informed

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is the best source for accurate, up-to-date information about the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have questions, please visit their website or call their hotline, staffed by public health professionals from 7am-7pm daily, at 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903.

While public health professionals are working around the clock to address this pandemic, all Minnesotans have a part to play. We should all know what to do by now: wash your hands (often and thoroughly), cover your cough with your sleeve, stay home when you’re sick, and practice social distancing. Please be kind and patient with one another and as Minnesotans, we’re going to get through this together.

Sincerely,

Rob Ecklund
State Representative