Gov. Tim Walz has unveiled a raft of new measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota, which will include a mandatory 10 p.m. bar close order.
The new restrictions, which come into effect Friday, also encompasses private gatherings and large events such as weddings and funerals, and comes as Minnesota deals with exponential spread of COVID-19, which is leading to rising hospitalizations and deaths.
Here's a look at the new restrictions:
- Bars and restaurants must close to dine-in service between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
- Indoor capacity at bars, restaurants will be capped at 150 people (previously it was capped at 250 and could not exceed 50% of total capacity).
ALL THE RESTRICTIONS HERE
ALSO.......An additional 58 bars and restaurants have been added to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) list of establishments linked to COVID-19 outbreakssince Oct. 14, which is when we last published the figures.
As of Nov. 5, MDH has conducted 209 investigations into a total of 194 establishments (some have been investigated more than once) for suspected coronavirus transmission (3,373 unique COVID-19-positive cases have reported visiting these 194 establishments).
Of the investigations MDH conducted, 117 restaurants and bars have met the definition of an outbreak (there were seven or more cases linked to the establishment). There are 2,406 COVID-19 positive cases who reported visiting the 117 establishments with confirmed outbreaks.