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Governor’s relaxation order keeps restaurants out in the cold

Brown County adds 3 deaths due to COVID

NEW ULM — The new orders on COVID-19 restrictions from Gov. Tim Walz will take effect Saturday at midnight allowing gyms to reopen (with limited participation) and youth sports practices to continue on Jan. 4.

In Walz’s executive order, he said Minnesota “Is starting to see the results of our efforts. Although daily case counts are still dangerously high, new cases reported by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) have decreased in recent days.”

Brown County has also seen the number of cases start to dial back, but the number of deaths continues to climb. Three new deaths due to COVID-19 were reported by Brown County Public Health on Wednesday, bringing the county total to 26.

The new order is a slight relaxation of the previous dial-back order put in by Walz in November. Fitness clubs can open but are restricted to 25% capacity with a maximum of 100 people. Youth sports practices can continue without games on Jan. 4. Indoor groups gathering with two households are allowed but with no more than 10 people.

Outdoor gathers have fewer restrictions. Three households and up to 15 people can gather. Indoor restaurants and bars will remain shut down, but the outdoor bar and restaurant services will be allowed at 50% capacity.

With winter weather in effect, the relaxed outdoor restriction is not expected to have a significant impact on Minnesota businesses.

Locally, most restaurant businesses plan to stick to curbside ordering, but at least one business will brave the cold.

Lamplighter Family Sports Bar & Grill will be trying outdoor dining on Saturday. Owner Herb Knutson said the restaurant will use its back patio to serve food and drinks.

“We’ve got a fire pit out and we will have servers going out there,” Knutson said. Outdoor dining will be an option with the full menu.

Knutson was uncertain how many people would want to dine outside, but said customers could order food for take-out and have a drink outside while waiting for their food.

Lamplighter will be starting will open the back patio with regular hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Knutson said they will change the hours as needed.

Minnesota bars and restaurant have been shut down from in-person service for a month in an effort to reduce surging COVID-19 numbers and take the strain off of hospitals.

Walz warned that Minnesota was not out of the woods yet and that MDH data reflects an alarming level of community spread.

“Even as declining case rates and the prospect of widespread vaccination bring us hope, we need to maintain some difficult measures of the current dial back into January,” Walz wrote.

In an effort to help those sacrificing for their neighbors safety, Walz said he would sign into a law a $216 million relief package that will provide direct support for businesses and workers affected by the pandemic.

“This relief package is a start, but more is needed from our federal partners,” Walz said. “That is why I continue to call on Congress to pass a robust federal aid package that will help our businesses and workers.”

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