Restrictions could be lifted on up to 100,000 Minnesota workers by Monday

[question everything]

An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 em­ploy­ees could re­turn to work Mon­day un­der a plan by Gov. Tim Walz to dial back the state’s stay-at-home order, which was imposed to reduce or delay the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move is tailored to manufacturers and offices that don’t have face-to-face interaction with clients and weren’t deemed critical industries that were exempt from the stay-at-home order. Roughly 20,000 companies in this category now have the option to reopen if they complete and publicize plans to maintain social distancing, worker hygiene and workspace cleanliness, said Steve Grove, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The move puts Minnesota in a fairly aggressive posture compared with other states, which have been adhering to the White House’s Open Up America Again Guidelines to pursue only a “phased comeback” once they have seen 14 consecutive days of declines in COVID-19 cases. But Walz and state officials said the decision was science-based and not open-ended like the plan to restart almost all businesses in Georgia that even President Donald Trump has criticized. The move also does not change the rest of the stay-home order, which remains in effect until May 4, or recommendations for people to continue to work from home if they can.

Minnesota appears nowhere near its peak in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Health Department reporting one-day records Thursday of 21 deaths and 221 new lab-confirmed infections. That brings the totals to 200 deaths and 2,942 cases, and with expanded COVID-19 testing getting underway, health officials expect the case count to surge.

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https://www.startribune.com/restrictions-could-be-lifted-on-up-to-100-000-minnesota-workers-by-monday/569895852/

[geardaddy]

1. I think this could be a big mistake

Why is he caving?

[progree]

2. The peak appears not to have arrived yet

Here's the daily new cases beginning April 12, when the first over 100 figure was reported.
109 <-reported April 12
114
45
114
103
159
142
143
114
97
154
221
243 <-reported April 24

Here's the daily new deaths for the same period
6 <-reported April 12
0
9
8
7
17
10
13
9
17
19
21
21 <-reported April 24

[geardaddy]

3. +1