COVID-19 News: Swedzinski responds to Walz’s extension of stay-at-home order to May 18

Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday extended Minnesota’s stay-at-home order two more weeks to May 18. Walz says the order that has been in place for weeks has helped the state avoid a catastrophic outbreak of the coronavirus. At the same time, he moved to help some businesses by letting them offer curbside pickup if they meet some safety conditions. Walz says that will help up to 30,000 workers get back on the job.

In response, Sen. Chris Swedzinski of Ghent stated, “We have the information, preparation and planning to both keep people healthy and help workers get back on the job. Instead, there is concern this extension will only cause more damage to families and businesses in our state. More curbside service might be helpful to some, but it is nowhere near leveling the playing field for our small businesses that have been forced to close their doors, while the big retailers have been able to remain operational and can welcome foot traffic.”