Council to meet on business reopenings

With a new executive order from Gov. Tim Walz allowing restaurants and other businesses to reopen, the Lake City City Council will hold a special meeting Monday, June 1, to see what the city can do to assist those businesses.

Mayor Mark Nichols said the 5 p.m. meeting will be for the council to consider “what we as a city can do to provide flexibility to our business owners.”

Beginning, June 1, bars and restaurants in the state may open for outdoor service if they have adopted and implemented a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, ensure a minimum of 6 feet of distance between tables, limit on-premises capacity to no more than 50 persons, limit table service to four persons, or six if part of one family unit, require reservations in advance, and require workers to wear masks and strongly encourage masks be worn by customers, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Personal care businesses like salons, barber shops, and tattoo parlors can reopen if they have adopted and implemented a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, limit number of clients inside the business at any time to ensure 6 feet of distance between persons except when providing services, reduce occupant capacity to no more than 25 percent, and see clients by appointment only, and require workers and clients to wear masks at all times, according to the department. “For services where the client cannot wear a mask, the worker should add a face shield in addition to their mask.”