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Cold comfort for restaurant owners

We’ll bet restaurant and bar owners around the state lifted a mighty cheer Wednesday at the news that Gov. Tim Walz is going to let them start serving customers — outdoors — starting Saturday.

We don’t know why the governor even bothered with that “relaxation” of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. It’s December in Minnesota. The weather forecast for Saturday is sunny with a high of 31 degrees — pretty balmy for this time of year, but hardly the kind of weather for dining al fresco.

In other words, restaurants and bars that were shut down to all but takeout service last month will effectively remain closed through the holidays.

But there are some real relaxations. Gyms and health clubs can now allow customers inside, at 25 percent capacity and with a 12-foot distance between them. School districts throughout the state can start bringing elementary students back into the classrooms, starting Jan. 18. Youth sports teams will be able to resume practicing Jan. 4, and we assume will be able to play games within a couple of weeks after that.

Reopening elementary schools, of course, may depend on availability of teachers. District 88 decided to go to distance learning this fall when it became difficult to find the substitute teachers to fill in for the regular staff who were under quarantine or had tested positive for COVID-19.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to accumulate at a high rate, and until they fall, either through vaccinations or through our own efforts to stay safe, we can expect restrictions to continue to be a part of everyday life.

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