Governor Tim Walz announced Wednesday afternoon that he is issuing a mask mandate starting July 25. DEED and the Department of Administration have selected one chamber per county to be a distribution point for a one-time shipment of disposable masks. These decisions were made independently by DEED and the Department of Administration. The following Chamber of Commerce offices will be receiving the disposable masks in each area county.
Polk – Crookston Chamber of Commerce (14,000 masks)
Pennington – Thief River Falls Chamber of Commerce (14,000)
Red Lake County – Red Lake Falls Chamber of Commerce (2,000)
Kittson County – Hallock Chamber of Commerce (2,000)
Norman County – Ada Chamber of Commerce (4,000)
Marshall County – Warren Chamber of Commerce (4,000)
Mahnomen County – Mahnomen Chamber of Commerce (4,000)
Roseau County – Roseau Civic and Commerce (10,000)
Beltrami – Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce (24,000)
Businesses throughout Minnesota have made employee and customer safety a priority since the onset of COVID-19. They have detailed preparedness plans that include distancing inside their workspaces and frequent sanitizing. Requiring face masks in their workspaces – of both employees and customers – will further prevent the spread, reduce the risk of an uptick of diagnoses and potential future widespread lockdown. Mask policies should be simple to follow and make clear that businesses will not be held liable for refusing entry to those not in compliance.
- Businesses should take all steps possible to alert employees and customers that they should be wearing a mask at their business. This includes signage and other communication.
- If individuals refuse to wear a mask in their business, they should use their discretion in enforcing the rules.
“At this time, we are unsure when the masks will arrive at our office,” said Crookston Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Terri Heggie. “When distribution begins we will notify our local media outlets, post information on our website at www.visitcrookston.com as well as multiple Facebook pages. If you have any questions, please contact me at theggie@visitcrookston.com.”
