4.4. SR 06-15-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 Emergency Executive Order 20-74 Continuing to Safely Reopen Minnesota’s Economy and Ensure Safe Non- Work Activities during the COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency I, Tim Walz, Governor of the State of Minnesota, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and applicable statutes, issue the following Executive Order: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present an unprecedented and rapidly evolving challenge to our State. Since the World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota have rapidly increased. On March 15, 2020, Minnesota detected the first confirmed cases caused by “community spread”—infections not epidemiologically linked to overseas travel. By March 17, 2020, all fifty states had reported a confirmed case of COVID-19, and on March 21, 2020, the Minnesota Department of Health (“MDH”) announced the first confirmed fatality due to COVID-19 in Minnesota. The President declared a national emergency related to COVID-19 on March 13, 2020. Since then, and for the first time in history, the President has approved major disaster declarations for all fifty states and the District of Columbia. In concert with these federal actions and the actions of states across the nation, Minnesota has taken proactive steps to ensure that we remain ahead of the curve. On March 13, 2020, I issued Executive Order 20-01 and declared a peacetime emergency because this pandemic, an act of nature, endangers the lives of Minnesotans, and local resources were—and continue to be—inadequate to address the threat. After notifying the Legislature, on April 13, 2020 and again on May 13, 2020, I issued Executive Orders extending the peacetime emergency declared in Executive Order 20-01. The need to slow the spread of the virus required the closure of certain non-critical businesses in our economy. Although Minnesota’s April unemployment rate was the second lowest in the country, over 700,000 Minnesotans have applied for unemployment insurance since March 16, 2020. In Executive Order 20-33, seeking to balance public health needs and economic considerations, we began planning to allow more Minnesota workers to safely return to work. We drafted guidelines and requirements for appropriate social distancing, hygiene, and public health best practices. Executive Order 20-38 expanded exemptions for outdoor recreational activities and facilities, and Executive Orders 20-40, 20-48, 20-56, and 20-63 allowed for the