Mpls. Mayor Jacob Frey Revokes Restrictions On Bar Areas
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is loosening citywide restrictions on bars and restaurants, citing positive trends in the battle against COVID-19.
In July 2020, Frey issued Emergency Regulation No. 2020-17, which ordered bar areas within restaurants, breweries and other indoor entertainment spaces to close, disallowed counter service and limited where patrons could sit and drink inside those venues.
Thursday, Frey revoked that emergency order on the basis of improvement in three COVID metrics: daily positive cases, positivity rate and the number of hospitalizations.
Frey also said there have been no new outbreaks from Minneapolis food businesses in the past week.
The mayor's proclamation said "overall compliance with Emergency Regulation 2020-17 and other applicable restrictions was generally good and the continued need for a more restrictive stance than the state is no longer necessitated from either a public health or economic vitality standpoint."
Limitations put in place by the state will remain in effect in the city.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported Thursday that the state's cumulative coronavirus case count stands at 476,292. The state's death toll has climbed to 6,404.
Also Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz introduced an online tool to help Minnesotans figure out how to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them. It's called the Vaccine Connector, and it's free to use.
