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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Cal Bahr (R)

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM REP. CAL BAHR - DISTRICT 31-B

Thursday, March 26, 2020

A lot of you have heard about the Governor's latest Executive Order by now and we're hearing about a lot of concerned and confused constituents who aren't sure what this means for them and will they be arrested if they have to get groceries or take their kids to the park?

Short answer - No. But it is good to cover what actually happened and what it means.

Governor's Stay-at-Home Order

Yesterday, March 25th, Governor Walz issued Executive Order 20-20 directing all Minnesotans to stay home starting this Friday at 11:59pm until Friday, April 10 at 11:59pm. There are 36 critical sectors that are exempt from this Executive Order for work duties. Some of these sectors include healthcare, law enforcement, agriculture, and many others.

For the full list of critical sectors, look at page 5 of the Executive Order here: https://bit.ly/2UlczcO.

If you are wondering if your business is exempt from this order, you can email criticalsectors@state.mn.us or check online: https://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/covid/business-exemptions/.

 

 

What Does That Mean For you?

 

If you have already been mostly staying at home except for necessary trips, than it doesn't really effect you much. We encourage you to continue in that vein.

  • You will still be able to go to the grocery store.
  • You will still be able to support your local restaurants who are doing curbside pick-up or delivery.
  • You can still go outdoors and get exercise and sunshine.

You are just encouraged to continue to keep social distance (6 feet) from others when you are out.

EO 2020 Img 2

If you have not yet begun to give yourself greater distance from others, now is the time. Please refrain from social gatherings; please refrain from unnecessary trips; If you are feeling ill - STAY HOME!.

It is very important that Minnesotans fully understand the parameters of this executive order. Most importantly, there are a series of exemptions to the stay at home order. These exemptions allow Minnesotans to leave their homes if they are participating in essential activities and critical work. These are outlined below.

EO 2020 Img 1

The Governor’s executive order mandates that all workers who can work from home must do so. However, the executive order permits essential businesses and sectors to continue operations in order to keep Minnesota running. Those exempted categories include, but are not limited to:

  • Health Care
  • Food
  • Convenience/Gas
  • Child Care
  • Hardware
  • Post Offices
  • Faith Leaders

School facilities will stay closed to students as they set their plans for Distance Learning into motion starting March 30th until May 4th. Restaurants and Bars will remain closed to Dine-in service but may continue their Take-out/Delivery options.

Please note: These are just a few of the different businesses and sectors which are exempt from the Governor’s executive order. Please see the Governor’s full executive order (link is listed above) for a detailed listing of all exempted businesses and economic sectors.

Coming up Next

* The Legislature met in session today for further actions regarding the COVID-19 Outbreak. I will provide additional updates on that activity tomorrow.

CalSig

Contact:

If you have any questions regarding COVID-19, please don’t hesitate to contact me or my office. We are still attempting to provide regular contact remotely so if you have other needs, please email my Legislative Assistant, Barbara, at barbara.smith@house.mn.

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