Two more rural Minnesota cities passed resolutions last week asking Gov. Tim Walz to allow all businesses to reopen.
According to the Grand Forks Herald, the Roseau City Council unanimously approved of a resolution during its Monday meeting that asks the governor to lift restrictions on small businesses. Roseau Mayor Jeff Pelowski said in a letter to Walz that his city is “dealing with several inequities that need to be addressed.”
“For example, a business that sells a hammer can be open, but a business selling clothing can only do curbside. Frankly, this is very problematic for our constituents,” Pelowski wrote in his letter.
He told Walz that many small businesses in Roseau “probably won’t survive this catastrophe” and said his city is “having a very difficult time administering the unfairness of the ‘critical’ vs. ‘non-critical’ designation.”
“In rural Minnesota, we consider every business to be critical, and we hope that you will agree,” he continued. “We hope you will address these inequities as soon as possible”
The Jackson City Council in southwest Minnesota unanimously passed a resolution during its Tuesday meeting that asks the governor to reopen the state’s economy. Jackson is the second city in Jackson County to pass such a resolution.
The Lakefield City Council said it will no longer direct any resources to the enforcement of Gov. Walz’s stay-at-home order, The Minnesota Sun reported.
“The City Council of Lakefield hereby declares its intent to oppose any infringement by Executive Order or any other directive on the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep their businesses open,” the Lakefield resolution said.
As of Sunday, Jackson County (home to both Lakefield and the city of Jackson) had 32 positive COVID-19 cases and zero deaths. Roseau County has only one confirmed case and no deaths, according to the Department of Health. There are still three counties in rural Minnesota with no confirmed cases.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “City of Roseau” by City of Roseau.
