• Saint Paul RiverCentre will open its doors again later this month, prepared to host events well within Minnesota’s Phase III reopening plan.
• Twins season starts Friday!

• Remember, this is the last week of PUA.
• Monday Administration Updates, Commissioner Malcolm, Kris Ehresmann:
• 7-day positivity rate for testing is steady at 4.7%.
• Number in hospital/ICU is steady at 247, and 115 in ICU (case numbers are much higher than May, with significantly lower hospitalizations currently)
• Median age now at 37 years old
• Week over week, we’ve seen 12.9% increase in the volume of testing, and 8.6% increase in new cases (down from over 10% increase in new cases last week)

• Friday Administration Updates, Commissioner Malcolm, Kris Ehresmann:
• 7-day positivity rate for testing is steady at 4.7%.
• Reminder that the state is stepping up enforcement of EO in restaurant and bar operations. Since Monday, have heard from 120 complaints about potential violations. Most common complaint is employees not wearing masks, too many people, not enough space between tables/social distancing/protection protocols.
• PPE supply chain issues are becoming an issue once again. apparently Minnesota has ample supplies now, but current spikes in cases are raising concern about supplies through the rest of the year.
• Lab supplies also are getting tight. Though not recommended by MDH, some sectors now are requiring negative tests before employees can come back to work.

• Mandatory Masks?
• As the number of COVID-19 cases grows in Minnesota, so does the debate over a statewide mask mandate. More companies are requiring face coverings: Target, Caribou, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, CVS, Costco, Starbucks, Lowes, and Best Buy among them.
• Here’s a rundown of retailers requiring masks (as of 7/16)
• MPR’s online map shows where face masks are required in Minnesota by community.

• Are Coronavirus Cases Rising or Falling in Your State? (hint: MN still bouncing around, but not leading the nation) From NPR, July 20: In the graphics linked here, explore the trend in new cases in your state and nationally.

• Next for the coronavirus economy: Stimulus, emergency help, retraining, reopening? From the St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 18: The end of July is a turning point for residents as PUA ends. What’s next?

• Federal Reserve expands lending program to nonprofits From Finance & Commerce, July 18: The Federal Reserve has opened its Main Street Lending Program to nonprofits (including hospitals, educational institutions, and social service organizations) with at least 10 employees and endowments of less than $3 billion.

• COVID-19-Related Employee Retention Credits: General Information FAQs From the IRS News Site: The Employee Retention Credit is a fully refundable tax credit for employers equal to 50 percent of qualified wages (including allocable qualified health plan expenses) that Eligible Employers pay their employees. This Employee Retention Credit applies to qualified wages paid after March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. The maximum amount of qualified wages taken into account with respect to each employee for all calendar quarters is $10,000, so that the maximum credit for an Eligible Employer for qualified wages paid to any employee is $5,000.

• Delta ‘still overstaffed in some areas’ as airline tries to avoid furloughs From Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, July 17: CEO Ed Bastian remains “hopeful that by working together and invoking Delta’s legendary spirit of innovation, we can minimize, or even avoid, involuntary furloughs this fall.” As things currently stand, Delta may need to furlough or lay off as many as 5,750 employees. Other airlines are in similar situations, with systemwide flight capacity down by as much as 85% earlier this spring.

• Minnesota's unemployment rate falls to 8.6% in June From the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, July 16: Minnesota's unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in June, after hitting a record high 9.9% in May, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Overall, the state added 84,700 payroll jobs, up 3.2%.

• Public Favors Small- Business Funds Going to Non-Chain Restaurants, Medical Groups, Private Schools From Morning Consult, July 13: U.S. adults are pointing to restaurants, schools and medical organizations as worthy recipients of the extra government boost.

• Ramsey County announces three initiatives to help job seekers find employment From the St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 14: A jobs website, Techpaks for those without computers, and Career Labs in libraries are three ways the county will use the $96M in federal relief it received to help residents navigate the pandemic.

• The SBA has announced the conclusion and success of the $20B EIDL program

• In downtown St. Paul, a boutique hotel now houses 34 homeless parents and kids From the St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 10: John and Stephanie Rupp openly acknowledge their stately downtown St. Paul hotel and athletic club has struggled during the pandemic, and even before it. Months before the health crisis, the Rupps had considered partnering with a nonprofit and converting at least part of the 13-story structure into a community center, or selling the century-old building and its boutique hotel outright. Those plans, however, never included sheltering homeless children. On Friday, that changed.

• Police reform, bonding, taxes among issues on Monday’s House calendar From the Session Daily, July 17.

• Judge hears lawsuit challenging Walz emergency orders From MPR News, July 16: the lawsuit argues that Walz overstepped his bounds and interfered with the legislative process.

• Bonding bill includes historic funding for bus rapid transit in Twin Cities From Minnpost, July 17: The $1.35B for public construction projects includes $55M to complete funding for both the D Line and B Line BRT routes, which would serve some of the region’s most highly used corridors.

• See available SBA COVID-19 training here.

• For more on SBA programs for the coronavirus, please visit www.sba.gov/coronavirus.

• Minnesota Chamber’s COVID-19 Business Toolkit has a dedicated section for employment guidance that can help.

• Department of Commerce links on insurance tips for business or residential property owners that may have sustained damage or loss from the destructive events:
• English: Business | Residential
• Spanish: Business | Residential
• Hmong: Business | Residential
• Somali: Business | Residential