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MEMBER UPDATE
March 27, 2020
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It’s been a two weeks unlike any other. Minnesota’s first COVID-19 case was diagnosed on March 6; schools closed on March 14 and 2 days later Governor Walz issued an Executive Order to close restaurants, bars and other places of public accommodation. On March 25, the Stay at Home Executive Order was issued.
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Case spikes on March 23 and 26 likely due to test processing bumps.
Of the 14,003 Minnesotans tested so far, 398 have tested positive (2.8%). MDH estimates actual cases are likely 100 times higher than the number found through limited testing. Gov indicates “peak number of cases” with no action around May 9, or June 13 with the current actions.
In the early days, the industry impact was mostly centered on restaurants and hotels in the Twin Cities area and along the corridors to Rochester and Saint Cloud. Now, it is in 40 counties, and it is expected to hit all 87 counties in Minnesota before we’re done. Our colleagues in the resort and campground sector now face great uncertainty about the impact on their season.
All signs point to a continued increase in the number of positive cases and related deaths. It is our fervent hope that Stay at Home will, indeed, stem the spread. What seems most important right now is the health and safety of our families and communities. We are grateful to all who continue to provide service, both to families needing a bit of comfort and normalcy and to those in who need our help in these challenging times.
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Unprecedented Impact
National association partners—the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the National Restaurant Association (NRA)—have been quick to gather member data on the impact. Taken together, they present the most accurate reflection we have in this moment about the entire industry.
The AHLA reports that Minnesota’s hotel sector lost 24,185 direct hotel-related jobs, with a total of 58,972 jobs lost supporting the hotel sector.
The restaurant industry lost an estimated $324 million in sales and more than 51,000 jobs during the first 22 days of March. Between March 23-26, the NRA fielded a national survey of more than 4,500 restaurant operators, asking if they have taken, or plan to take the following actions. Here are the results they reported for Minnesota.
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What we’ve asked for and what we've accomplished
We’ve been working at the state and federal level to propose and advocate for relief programs that will help our member navigate the urgency and severity of the pandemic. Here’s a rundown of what’s been in play so far.
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*Correction: yesterday’s member update reported this figure as $600/month, not $600/week. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
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Key dates and grace periods
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April 10
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April 20
April 21
May 1
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May 16-29
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July 15
Sep 17-Oct 30
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Executive Order 20-20 Stay at Home ends (as currently scheduled)
March 20 Sales Tax Remittance
Special MN Sure Open Enrollment period closes
Executive Order 20-04 Temporary closure set to end at 5pm (as currently scheduled)
National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago cancelled
2019 Income Tax filing due
Grace period ends for Certified Food Protection Manager renewals set to expire between March 17 and April 30
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How to access relief programs
Guidance on accessing relief programs funded through state and federal action will continue to be released in the coming days and weeks. We will post those as they become available. Here is what we know about the key programs launched in the last two weeks.
The Minnesota SBA is hosting twice daily trainings to help answer questions and provide tips for applying.
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If you cannot make one of these calls, you can access the information through
this video
. It provides the same training provided in the live events in a condensed form and with many of the questions we've been getting from small businesses answered in the content.
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What happens next?
The frantic pace of wondering what decisions will be made and when will subside a bit as we move into the two-week Stay at Home Order. The urgency of relief and planning for the other side of this will not. We’ll learn more in the coming days about how the CARES Act, passed by the House and signed by the President today, will be implemented. We’ll share that as we learn more.
In the meantime, we’ll be organizing resources, producing webinars and be available to answer your questions through email and phone calls.
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Ways to stay informed
We’ll continue to send regular updates, make resources available on our web site and post news to our social media accounts.
Our national partner associations are a great source of information and best practices. We are grateful for their leadership on advancing our federal priorities.
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At the turn of this year, the boards and members of our three associations voted to become one. We had no inkling then that we would be facing what we are now, and it turns out the timing could not have been more crucial. That we are facing this crisis as a unified force for the hospitality industry in Minnesota is making us stronger. Today, on our staff call, we coined the hashtag, #HospitalityMNUnited! I want you to know that our team is dedicated to your business, to your employees and to you. We’ll do whatever we can to make certain this industry continues to thrive and comes out of this experience stronger than ever.
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Sincerely,
Liz Rammer
President and CEO
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Our Member Updates are generally sent to members only. In the interest of public health and the health of our industry, we encourage you to share this update widely. Additional resources can be found on our
website
and through our social media posts on
Facebook
and
Twitter
.
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