Senator Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) today released the following statement in response to Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement that he would ease Covid restrictions on some businesses.

“Any time we can get more businesses open it’s a good thing, but truthfully it’s not nearly enough. They need to be fully open right now, the way countless big box stores are.

The governor’s treatment of businesses throughout this pandemic has been as much of a disaster as his rollout of the vaccine. It has been one mistake after another. The shutdown was not necessary: cases and other metrics were trending down. Hospitality businesses were connected to a staggeringly small number of cases. And most bars and restaurants were already operating safely. Let them reopen fully open within appropriate safety guidelines, and allow individuals to decide whether they want to frequent them.”