Agenda - Council - 04/14/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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STATE OF M I N N ESOTA Executive Department ?. y. LP: DuNoq .•14 ��r01858�� Governor Tim Walz Emergency Executive Order 20-04 Providing for Temporary Closure of Bars, Restaurants, and Other Places of Public Accommodation 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 presents an unprecedented challenge to our State. Minnesota has taken proactive steps to ensure that we are ahead of the curve on COVID-19 prevention and response. On March 13, 2020, I issued Executive Order 20-01 and declared a peacetime emergency because this pandemic, an act of nature, threatens the lives of Minnesotans, and local resources are inadequate to address the threat. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota are rapidly increasing. On March 15, 2020, Minnesota detected the first confirmed cases caused by "community spread" —infections not epidemiologically linked to overseas travel. This development requires Minnesota to take additional proactive measures, including enhanced community mitigation, to slow the spread of this pandemic. Slowing the spread of COVID-19 is critical to ensuring that our healthcare facilities remain able to accommodate those who require intensive medical intervention. In this time of uncertainty and peacetime emergency, Minnesotans must continue to maintain their essential activities. I encourage supermarkets, pharmacies, and other establishments providing essential retail goods and services to remain open, subject to best practices, including social distancing, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Minnesota Department of Health. That said, certain other public accommodations in which Minnesotans congregate pose a threat to the public health by providing environments for the spread of COVID-19. Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 2019, section 12.21, subdivision 3(1), the Governor may "make, amend, and rescind the necessary orders and rules to carry out the provisions" of Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 12. When approved by the Executive Council and filed in the Office of the Secretary of State, such orders and rules have the force and effect of law during the peacetime emergency. Any inconsistent rules or ordinances of any agency or political subdivision of the state are suspended during the pendency of the emergency. Any person who willfully violates 1