Walz is about to issue a statewide mask order.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

About damn time, but watch the Trumpers go nuts.

[dflprincess]

1. Finally!

His biggest misstep in all this had been stalling on the mandate hoping the Republicans would cone around on it.

[progree]

2. A couple articles on it - I've attempted to list the requirements and exemptions

Last edited Wed Jul 22, 2020, 06:26 PM - Edit history (1)

I gathered from these 2 articles.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/07/22/latest-on-covid19-in-mn

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/07/22/minnesotas-mask-mandate-what-you-need-to-know

From these 2 articles, I came up with this list --

People in Minnesota are required to wear a face coverings --

# in all public indoor spaces and businesses, unless they are alone. This includes when waiting outside to enter an indoor public space.

# on public transportation, including buses and trains, and in taxis or vehicles that are used for a business purpose.

# when at a business, either indoors or outdoors, that requires face coverings. (presumably if its indoors, the first one above covers that, i.e. its mandatory unless you are alone, regardless of if the business requires it or not. So this item is just adding the outdoor requirement if the business requires it. My interpretation).

# workers are required to wear a face covering when working outdoors in situations in which social distancing cannot be maintained.

Exemptions to the order include:

# People with health conditions that make it difficult to tolerate wearing a face covering

#Any person who has trouble breathing or unable to remove the face covering without help

# People who at work with jobs where wearing a face covering would create a safety hazard as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines

# "Bar and restaurant patrons don’t have to keep masks on as they eat and drink at a table with their party."

From the first article, on Enforcement

Grove emphasized that officials don’t want businesses to be in a position of being “mask police.”

If a patron says she can’t wear a mask for medical reasons, store owners can allow it without delving into deeper explanations, he said. Bar and restaurant patrons don’t have to keep masks on as they eat and drink at a table with their party.

The order does allow for a petty misdemeanor with possible fine up to $100. Businesses could face steeper fines for noncompliance.

Walz, though, said he wants authorities “handing out masks, not tickets” and that businesses should not escalate confrontations, adding: "We don't want someone to accidentally get famous on the internet because they're throwing a tantrum in Trader Joe's."

I haven't studied this yet:

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/facecover.html

Uggh, I did. I just picked out a couple of things below from it for here...

A face covering must cover the nose and mouth completely.

Exceptions include -

While eating or drinking, if you can maintain 6 feet of physical distance from others who are not a member of the same party.

When participating in indoor physical exercise—such as in a gym or fitness center—where the level of exertion makes wearing a face covering difficult, as long as social distancing can be maintained at all times.

What's at the above link is quite a bit more extensive than what I've posted so far, but hopefully I got the main points of interest for most people.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

3. What?! I just assumed Minnesota already did it.

The liberal reputation made me think that way, I guess.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Most of the larger cities had already done it, and for awhile

the infection rate was somewhat steady. Walz probably didn't think it was necessary (and the GOPers in the legislature were making a stink, of course) until recently, since there has been a spike in positive tests.

[progree]

5. We've had a substantial increase in cases. Had to do something.

Last edited Wed Jul 22, 2020, 06:24 PM - Edit history (1)

From 7/22/20 4:40 PM visit to the first link (nytimes.com) below. Includes data reported on 7/21 (doesn't include the 507 cases reported 7/22 11am)



https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/minnesota-coronavirus-cases.html

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/situation.html

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/07/22/latest-on-covid19-in-mn

As for why not sooner, I guess because per-capita we looked pretty good and the shutdowns were working. Oh, and as TVO mentioned in #4, the bigger cities have had mask requirements for some time.

What disappointed me was I thought some of the openings were premature, and sooner than a lot of other blue state governors. June 10 opened up the bars and indoor dining particularly questionable to me. (Patio dining/drinking began June 1).

In the graph - that huge spike in new cases reported on 7/20, followed by a rather small increase reported on 7/21 -- that's been blamed on transition to a new reporting system, and an article I read said its best to just average those 2 days.

For the latest: on 7/22 507 cases were reported, which is down from the approximately 600 cases 7-day average (but obviously there's a lot of day-to-day volatility, so no particular meaning to that, just an update).

The reporting days cover what happened the previous day, e.g. at 7/22 11a they reported what happened over the last 24 hours or on 7/21 or something like that.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. Ugh, bars are the worst! Sorry for not keeping track...

... of the situation up there.

The mask mandate should be a big help. Almost nobody was wearing masks in my reddish-town until a countywide mandate was declared. Now I'm seeing nearly everyone wearing them when going indoors. I'm not even sure that the cops would really do anything to individual non-compliers here, but the mandate had a big impact regardless. (It's not statewide in Ohio until tomorrow.)

[progree]

9. "Sorry for not keeping track..." That's OK, we in MN try to be boring & not make headlines

but 4 cops had different ideas last May ...

Here's the latest on the knee-on-the-neck cop, BTW:

Chauvin, wife charged with tax fraud, MPR News 7/22/20
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/07/22/chauvin-wife-charged-with-tax-fraud

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput alleges that Derek Chauvin and his estranged wife Kellie Chauvin underreported their income by almost half a million dollars between 2014 and the end of 2019. The couple didn’t file taxes at all between 2016 and 2018. The nine felony charges against the couple range from failing to file tax returns to filing false returns.

Such a civic-minded guy {sarcasm}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm glad the county mask order is working out where you live. It sure helps (me anyway) to not feel weird when I'm wearing a mask and hardly anyone else is.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

10. Awesome news about the tax fraud!

I mean, the charges against them!

The mask mandate has definitely helped with the weirdness factor for me too. I saw glares from non-maskers several weeks ago, so I figured the mandate wouldn't change things very much around here. I'm thankful that I was wrong.

[dflprincess]

11. We are not boring

But we would prefer not to make headlines as we don't want to make a scene.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. It's the Scandinavian culture.

Google Janteloven.

[dflprincess]

13. That is perfect!

I'm surprised it wasn't in "How to Talk Minnesotan" (or maybe it was & I just don't remember).

[pengillian101]

15. LOL n/t

[geardaddy]

7. I was hoping he would do this months ago.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. Me, too. I think some restrictions were lifted too soon.

Not nearly as bad as some places, but they should have kept the bars closed because people are stupid, and even stupider when they drink. Of course the GOPers will have their usual hissy fits but screw 'em.

[question everything]

14. Zippered masks?

The story in today's strib was accompanied with two diners at a restaurant, each with a mask. But, at some point, they will have to be able to put food into their mouths..

I suppose they will remove them but then I thought that zippered masks could be helpful..