SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Businesses across Minnesota will close after an executive order from Gov. Tim Walz aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
Executive Order 20-24 closes all bars, restaurants, theaters, museums, gyms, and other businesses where people tend to congregate starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The order ends March 27.
The order encourages restaurants to provide delivery or take-out service as an alternative to dining in. Only five customers are allowed in a restaurant at a given time, and they must be six feet apart from one another.
Employees of closed businesses are unaffected by the order. It does not apply to grocery stores or other stores that sell food that is meant to be eaten someplace else. It includes exceptions for health care facilities, soup kitchens, and restaurants in secured areas of airports.
“As the cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota continue to climb, we must take decisive action to curb the spread of this pandemic and protect the health and safety of Minnesotans,” Walz said in a release.
Minnesota announced a spike in COVID-19 cases on Monday. 54 residents of the state have tested positive, up from 35 the day before.
