ST PAUL, Minn. — In the face of hopeful news about accelerated pace of vaccinations in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz is facing renewed pressure to let businesses reopen fully.
He's been hearing a lot from Twin Cities sports franchises and stadium operators about whether he'll give the greenlight for real, live fans for games and concerts.
"The (Minnesota) Twins need to know how many tickets they're going to sell for on Opening Day, April 8. And we want to give them that certainty," Walz told reporters Tuesday. "We want to base it on the science. We want to base it on that economic impact. So the answer is 'yes' we're doing that. We're going to try to get the answer out to them as quickly as possible."
He said Twins General Manager Dave St. Peter would like 30 days notice, which would've been Monday. But the Governor is hoping to give the Twins some kind of a decision in a matter of days.
Walz acknowledged the live entertainment business has been slammed hard by the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions put in place to prevent large numbers of people from standing in close quarters for hours at a time.
He said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove is in close communications with all business sectors, looking for the best ways to reopen those businesses to partial or full capacity safely. Walz says his team is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 variants that are arriving in the state, and whether there's an uptick in hospitalizations.
"We feel much more comfortable giving guidance April 1 or May 1. If there's grooms planning a wedding, you want to know. If the Green Day concert and people say I want to use my tickets, those are out there."
Green Day is one of three bands headlining the Hella Mega Tour, which has a Target Field date Aug. 23. It was originally slated for the summer of 2020, but was scrubbed like all other concert tours in the US due to the pandemic.
Many college teams allowed a certain percentage of fans throughout the fall and winter sports seasons, although it varied from state to state and venue by venue. Some tournaments are being played in a central location to create a "bubble" and lower the risk of athletes contracting COVID through travel or contact with the public.
In the meantime, House Republicans Tuesday renewed their call for Gov. Walz to allow restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues to fully reopen. In a press conference, Rep. Dave Baker of Willmar said Walz should at least give businesses a signal or a timeline that will allow them to plan their springs and summers.
"If the governor's going to announce something big this week, or next week, if you know what it is, tell us today! Tell us now!" Rep. Baker remarked. "Every week, every day we get closer to knowing is better."
The news conference featured an appearance by Adam and Monique Wallis, who own and operate the Bloom Lake Barn, a wedding center in Shafer.
"We can operate very safely, just like a restaurant. I mean, we space our tables out. We have less guests per tables. We have huge barn doors we can open," Monique Wallis explained.
They says forgivable PPP loans and a COVID relief grant from Chisago County has helped them stay open, but they've felt helpless losing dozens of wedding celebrations to venues in neighboring states with fewer restrictions on gatherings.
Adam Wallis said they'd like to be able to tell customers if they can plan on getting married there, and how many guests will be allowed under executive orders.
"Our brides and grooms just don't know what to do, and we don't know what to tell them," Adam Wallis remarked. "We just don't have any way to say, 'Hey, by June, or by May or by August, or whatever.'"