Walz Says Decision on State-Wide Mask Mandate Could be Made Soon
Governor Walz said recently at a news conference that there could be a decision on a Minnesota state-wide mask mandate in the "very near future."
During the news conference, according to KARE 11, Walz said, "'We are trying to figure out how to best make [the mask mandate] work.'" A study that was conducted recently shows that if 95% of people comply with a mask mandate it could save 1,700 lives in Minnesota by November.
Walz also addressed the fact that the mask mandate would not look the same across the entire state. Walz and his administration "are considering plans that would impose mandates in certain areas instead of a blanket rule across the state." So I would make the assumption that that means areas of Minnesota that have no cases would have a more relaxed mask mandate and places like the Twin Cities would have a stricter mandate. But then again, we won't know for sure until an official announcement is made.
Several Minnesota communities have already made it mandatory to wear masks in indoor public places, including Rochester, Mankato, Edina, Winona, and the Twin Cities.
Also during the news conference, Governor Walz said that Minnesota is on a good path and he says that "'optimistically but not naively ... we have to continue to make good decisions to stay on that path.'" He also applauded Minnesota courts and communities who have already implemented their own mask mandate.
The biggest area of concern for the Minnesota Department of Health right now is the increase in cases among young people between the ages of 20 and 29. KARE 11 reports that 22%, or 8,818 cases in Minnesota are people ages 20-29. (Sidebar: This post was written on Thursday, July 9th, 2020 at 10 AM. When you're reading this the percentage and/or cases may have changed.)