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Capitol Comments by Peggy Bennett

 

On Thursday, Gov. Walz made the announcement that the stay-at-home order has been extended to May 18, while allowing more retail businesses to open with restrictions. His plan would allow currently-closed businesses to provide curbside sales in front of their stores.

To me, the governor’s decision is a real gut punch to the Main Street business owners who have been holding their breath for weeks and are nearly out of air. Minnesota can methodically and carefully reopen its economy and keep Minnesotans safe — it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Our small stores can safely serve the public in the same ways being given to our larger retailers, and the governor needs to trust them and give them that opportunity.

This should not be a one-size fits all approach. With only 34 cases reported in Freeborn County, why should we be treated the same as Hennepin County, which has hundreds of thousands of people and more than 1,700 cases?

Moving forward, our goal for COVID-19 should be to protect Minnesotans. But we also need to start using common sense and finding safe ways to let business owners serve the public.

In addition, it was announced that there will be a modification of the executive order on elective procedures in the coming days. This week I joined many of my Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Gov. Walz, asking the governor to reconsider that order and allow hospitals and other health care providers to have flexibility in how they treat patients, and allow them to consider how and where they can safely treat COVID-19 patients and those seeking non-COVID care while maintaining capacity and without compromising PPE.

Finally, with the closure of multiple pork processing plants in Minnesota and across the Midwest, halting needed livestock production, a number of lawmakers have penned a letter to President Trump, urging immediate action to prevent major disruptions to our food supply, farm bankruptcies, job losses and devastating impacts on rural economies that are already struggling.

The safety and health of our food supply is critical to the well being of our state and nation, and this is a situation we need to get a handle on very quickly.

State Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, represents Minnesota House District 27A, which includes almost all of Freeborn County, along with parts of Faribault, Mower, Steele and Dodge counties. She can be reached by phone at 651-296-8216 or by email at rep. peggy.bennett@house.mn.