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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Restrictions eased for some but not for all

Social gathering limits increased while indoor food venues stay closed

David Colburn
Posted 12/23/20

REGIONAL- The rate of new COVID-19 cases in the North Country has leveled off in the most recent data available, but an extension of the indoor service closures of restaurants and bars could make a …

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Restrictions eased for some but not for all

Social gathering limits increased while indoor food venues stay closed

Posted

REGIONAL- The rate of new COVID-19 cases in the North Country has leveled off in the most recent data available, but an extension of the indoor service closures of restaurants and bars could make a difficult time even tougher for local business owners.
Numerous area establishments had already given up on making money via take-out sales and suspended operations during the initial closure, which began Nov. 20. Last Thursday, the day after Gov. Tim Walz extended the restrictions through Jan. 11, the Montana Café in Cook succumbed, at least in part to the news.
A post on the café’s social media page indicated the eatery would be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 4, while noting take-out and special holiday pre-orders would continue through Wednesday, Dec 23.
“This may change based on the next update, but things are so slow right now that this is what we find necessary to do,” the post read. “THANK YOU again to this great community that we are a part of. Stay home, mask up, and stay safe so we can open again and have a better year in 2021!”
Restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and other indoor entertainment venues were the ones most adversely affected by Walz’s extension of the restrictions, although food establishments did get permission to resume outdoor dining at 50 percent capacity up to 100 diners.
Gyms, fitness centers, and health clubs are allowed to reopen for individual workouts at 25 percent capacity, up to 100 people, provided patrons are always masked and remain 12 feet apart.
Social gatherings outside of family households had been barred under Walz’s previous order, but as of last week’s revision, up to 10 people from two households can gather together indoors if they follow COVID-19 precautions for masking and social distancing. Outdoors, a total of 15 people from three households can assemble if following precautions.
In the biggest shift away from old guidance, Walz said that elementary schools can resume in-person learning beginning Jan. 18, provided they are following prescribed mitigation strategies. Walz noted that the change is in response to evolving understanding about how COVID-19 spreads in school settings.
“What we do know is our youngest children are less susceptible to serious complications,” Walz said. “I don’t want to minimize that – one child getting COVID is too many. But what we’ve learned is how to reduce that spread.”
Middle and high schools will still be subject to existing guidelines and evaluation of local data to determine whether in-person, hybrid, or distance learning is most appropriate.
Walz also gave a green light for winter youth sports to begin practicing on Jan. 4, but he did not set a date for when competition could resume. His November order calling a premature halt to school football and volleyball seasons also scuttled previous plans to start winter sport practices in mid-November.
A group of over 200 businesses affiliated with the ReOpen Minnesota Coalition planned to defy Walz’s order and resume indoor services on Friday, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded by filing actions against three of them by Monday, adding to two additional cases filed during the initial closure period.
Meanwhile, U.S. District Court of Minnesota Judge John Tunheim rejected on Friday a case filed by Let Them Play MN to challenge Walz’s authority to put limitations on youth sports. The group of primarily parents said it would appeal the decision. Let Them Play MN was instrumental in applying pressure to get the Minnesota State High School League to bring back football and volleyball for fall seasons after they had previously shifted them to spring seasons due to COVID-19.
Area numbers
The Cook zip code once again led the region in new cases with 16, according to figures reported by the state Health Department last Thursday. While significant, the number was markedly lower than the 24 and 25 new cases identified the two prior weeks. Soudan was the second-largest gainer with seven cases, bringing its cumulative total to 16. New cases in other locations included Orr with six, Embarrass with five, Ely with three, and Tower with two.
After hitting a pandemic-high in the 7-day rolling average of cases per 100,000 people at 76.1 on Nov. 19, the northern portion of the county has had a fitful but steady decline, dropping by more than half to 31 as of Dec. 14, the most recent date reported. The rate for the county has also dropped significantly from a high of 129.2 on Nov. 23 to 47.2 on Dec. 14. An anticipated surge related to the Thanksgiving holiday has not been reflected in the data, and Walz gave credit for that to Minnesotans who volunteered to comply with the tight gathering restrictions.
State and county health officials have been quick in recent press conferences to point out that while the overall case number rates have been declining, the rates are still well above the threshold for unchecked community spread, and hospitalization and death rates have been slower to respond.
Walz warned on Thursday that if Minnesotans don’t remain vigilant in following standard protocols for masking and social distancing in addition to adhering to the new gathering guidance, a holiday-driven resurgence of infections could serious threaten hospital capacity and result in mounting deaths just as the state ramps up vaccine administration for healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents.