At Governor Walz’ invitation today, Liz Rammer participated in the
COVID-19 Daily Briefing
. Commissioner Steve Grove, in his introduction, referred to Hospitality Minnesota as “an incredibly important trade association who has given the Governor, myself, and many of the leaders in state government, lots of advice on how to get this right moving forward," In her remarks, Liz told reporters and the listening audience, “We're confident that our hospitality businesses are ready to open now; our businesses and the public, they're ready to approach this new normal.”
During a phone call this morning and again during the briefing, the Governor acknowledged our industry’s importance to the Minnesota economy and that it has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. The Governor, Commissioner Grove and their team affirmed their commitment to work with our association to finalize the guidelines for safely reopening, target a date certain, and provide ample notice to allow businesses enough time to prepare.
Watch the
video
highlights:
28:00-32:00
Liz Rammer’s remarks
50:00-51:15
Liz Rammer answering question on need for adequate notice
15:35-25:00
Commissioner Grove on business engagement process
The Governor also agreed that conversations about how to address the economic hardship caused by the crisis and the inadequacy of the federal programs to address the specific needs of our industry need to continue. We’ll pick that conversation back up following the state’s budget assessment tomorrow morning.