On Monday, Senate Republicans shared ideas from small businesses and churches to safely reopen as Minnesota enters the third month with a stay at home order. Despite billions in federal stimulus dollars being pumped into the state, nearly 600,000 Minnesotans have filed for unemployment, and thousands of small and local businesses and churches, have closed their doors to the public, and some have closed for good.

“Across Minnesota, you’ve got a lot of businesses and a lot of families struggling as a continued result of Governor Walz’s stay-at-home orders and business restrictions,” said Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake).  “I was disappointed to see the Governor’s recent announcement of the continuation of that order and had hoped to see more flexibility and provisions for our businesses to open up safely. Minnesota businesses have a vested interest in protecting Minnesotans and ensuring their health. Many have already developed creative plans to protect their customers. Our businesses know how to best run their businesses, and we need to trust them, any business that has a good plan should be able to open. We also need to trust Minnesotans to know how to work and shop I hope that Governor Walz will reconsider his recent order and work with our small businesses to hear their solutions on how they can operate safely and open Minnesota back up.”

Speakers at the press conference included a salon owner, restaurant and bar owners, and the pastor of a small church. They shared the various efforts they’ve made to re-open following CDC guidelines. They also shared what might happen if the business closures remain in place any longer than planned. 

Senate Republicans also announced the formation of a Senate taskforce dedicated to economic recovery from COVID-19.

The purpose of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Taskforce (CERT) is to safely and efficiently reopen Minnesota’s economy in accordance with the state and federal public health guidelines. Chaired by Minnesota businessman Mike Vekich, CERT membership will include Senators from both caucuses, representatives from private businesses, health care, trade unions, higher education, local government, and the financial industry. 

Watch the press conference on Facebook