Governor Walz’ next announcement on the closure order is expected on Thursday. We continue our press, which began with an April 14 letter to the Governor, on best practices for reopening. The first Hospitality Roundtable to shape that guidance was convened by DEED Commissioner Steve Grove on April 29. On a May 4 phone call with Governor Walz, Liz Rammer expressed the urgent need to have clear next steps and reopening date. “We’re confident that our hospitality businesses are ready to open now,” Rammer told listeners to the Daily Briefing that afternoon. At last week’s meeting, Commissioner Grove asked Hospitality Minnesota to facilitate the development of a reopening guidance document with the Roundtable members. Within 48 hours, the Roundtable met to review a draft document during two calls and provided additional feedback over the weekend. The final draft reopening guidance for the hospitality industry, emphasizing recommendations over mandates, was submitted to the Commissioner yesterday. The Hospitality Roundtable meets again tomorrow afternoon where we expect feedback, including a timeline and related next steps.
