Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said this week he plans to announce new restrictions that target active spreaders of COVID-19 in an effort to bring the coronavirus under control.
Walz plans to unveil at least some of his restrictions at 2 p.m. local time Tuesday, hinting they would be more “surgically, much more aggressively” targeted than the 51-day stay-at-home order from the spring. Sources told CBS Minnesota that restrictions will include closing bars and restaurants by 10 p.m., as well as restrictions on weddings and other group gatherings.
How to watch Minnesota Governor Walz’s announcement today
- What: Governor Tim Walz announces dial-back measures impacting restaurants, bars and gatheringsDate: Tuesday, November 10, 2020Time: 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET)Location: Minnesota Online stream: Live on CBSN Minnesota in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
The governor made it clear Monday that strong restrictions will be aimed at places and events frequented by younger people – 18 to 35-year-olds – who he says are a major source of the spread.
“At this point in time, we’ve learned we can do retail, we can do education, some of it in person, if we’re able to test, contain and contact trace those folks to get [their infections] isolated,” he said.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported 3,930 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, lower than the single-day record of 5,924 set just a day earlier. The update lifted the total number of cases in Minnesota to 184,788 since the start of the pandemic.
Minnesota Department of Health data shows outbreaks in restaurants and bars were up dramatically in October and the first five days in November. Sixty-five outbreaks were traced to bars and restaurants, compared to 30 outbreaks in all of August and September.
Since June 10, when indoor dining resumed in Minnesota, the health department said there were 117 outbreaks at bars and restaurants, with at least 2,400 confirmed cases connected to those outbreaks. That’s just under 2% of all cases since then.
Walz announced he will be convening a special session of the Minnesota Legislature Thursday where he intends to extend the state’s COVID-19 peacetime emergency by another 30 days.
“This is a dangerous phase of this pandemic. We’re in the midst of a surge in case positivity and hospitalizations,” Walz said. “Extending the Peacetime Emergency will help ensure we have the tools we need to respond quickly to protect Minnesotans’ health and well-being.”
Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan said Monday the state is adding more than a dozen free COVID-19 testing sites around the state over the next two weeks. Testing at the sites will be free and available to anyone, whether symptomatic or not.
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change