Just as bars and restaurants were adjusting to last week’s executive orders, the state delivered another blow Nov. 18 with the announcement that drinking and dining establishments would close entirely for several weeks.
“I don’t think it’s fair that we have to shut down,” said Green Lantern owner Linda DeSplinter in Hardwick.
She said without establishments to meet at, people seeking social interaction will crowd into houses and smaller venues, rather than in her large facility where air exchange is safer.
“We’ll do take-out and off sale, but those paper supplies are expensive and you don’t make as much money as you would at the bar.”
DeSplinter said she’ll close for two weeks before reopening with a take-out menu and schedule for off-sale liquor pickup.
Many businesses are shifting gears to continue operating in the coming weeks.
Codie Deutsch at 75 Diner in Luverne is advertising take-out pies and meals, and Lila Bauer at Pizza Ranch in Luverne is ramping her delivery advertising. Wildflowers will be open for take-out and curbside orders.
Jodi Reverts at the Howling Dog said she’ll continue working with her food vendors to fill local take-out orders but she said she’s concerned about her patrons and where they’ll go for social connections.
“There are so many psychological and social effects of these,” Reverts said.
“I have a 97-year-old patron that comes in here every day for a beer and food and company. Now he’s going to be at home alone for four weeks. … I just don’t know.”
‘We’re all in this together’
Community support will be key in keeping bars, restaurants and other affected small businesses afloat.
“After going through this in the spring, and seeing how the community supported us, that anxiety and stress isn’t as bad,” said Brian Sterling of Sterling’s Bar and Grille in Luverne.
“It’s good to know we’re in a community that will support us.”
He said he’s grateful for the city of Luverne offering discounted liquor license costs and utility fees, and he said the Chamber efforts have gone a long way.
His Thanksgiving meal promotion nearly sold out and he said he’s been impressed by group orders through the school and businesses.
“It’s super important that everyone supports everyone,” Sterling said. “As long as the community sticks together, we’ll get through this.”
The Luverne Chamber is urging support of bars and restaurants through a Take-Out Challenge to win gift cards (see page 4A)
Putting the brakes on COVID
The governor’s order followed several days in a row of record COVID-19 cases and pleas from health professionals to slow the spread as ICU beds filled and staff members were spread thin.
“Our health care workers continue to work hard to provide care but we can’t afford to overwhelm them,” said Jan Malcolm, Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner.
“Every Minnesotan needs to understand that they have a key role to play here.”
The executive order that went into effect Friday at 11:59 p.m. lasts until Friday, Dec. 18. It says:
•in-person social gatherings with individuals outside a household are prohibited;
•bars and restaurants are dialed back to take-out and delivery service only;
•gyms, fitness studios, entertainment venues, event spaces, and similar establishments will need to close;
•adult and youth sports are paused.
•Retail businesses, salons, and places of worship may continue to operate with proper precautions in place.
Child care remains open.
Schools will continue to operate under the Safe Learning Plan, which shifts between in-person, distance, and hybrid learning depending on the local conditions of the virus. All other current restrictions also remain in effect.
According to the MDH, the pandemic has reached a “concerning and dangerous” phase throughout much of the Midwest in November.
It took 29 weeks to reach 100,000 infections in Minnesota, and just six weeks after that to reach 200,000.
By the end of this week, less than three weeks after reaching 200,000 infections, Minnesota will reach 300,000 infections.
Spring shutdowns slowed the spread to prepare for surge, which is happening now
At the beginning of the pandemic this spring, states across the nation shut down to slow the spread of the virus. This allowed for hospitals to build up capacity for a potential surge of COVID-19 patients.
That extra capacity is now being put to use as people are getting sick, including health care workers, which is impacting hospitals’ ability to respond to the pandemic, despite adequate beds and resources.
“This has put our hospitals on the verge of dangerous capacity shortages with some hospitals already reporting turning away new patients,” Malcolm said.
“Every day brings us closer to having safe and effective vaccines, but we must take action now to slow down the rate at which COVID-19 is spreading in all corners of our state.”
She said that means staying home and avoiding close contact with those outside a household. It means wearing a mask in public and staying home when you’re not feeling well. She said people also need to get tested when appropriate and isolate until results are in.
State to release $10 million in small business relief grants
To support small businesses affected last week, Governor Tim Walz announced an additional $10 million in Small Business Relief Grants.
This funding will support an additional 1,000 businesses that have applied for the grant program.
It supplements hundreds of millions of dollars in small business support that Minnesota has allocated since the beginning of the pandemic.
With options at the state level severely limited moving forward, the governor is pushing the federal government for additional support.
“Minnesota business leaders have been doing everything they can to keep businesses and workplaces safe as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic; yet, we’re in a precarious position that’s now more urgent than ever before,” said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove.
“That’s why we must collectively take action to slow the spread of the virus – the health and well-being of Minnesotans, and our state’s jobs and economy, depend on it.”
Minnesotans with questions about unemployment insurance are encouraged to visit uimn.org.