Walz extends stay-at-home order to May 4

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday an executive action extending the state’s stay-at-home order to May 4.

The order, which first took effect March 28, was set to expire this Friday. As part of the governor’s latest action, bars, restaurants and other public gathering places will also remain closed until May 4.

Health officials said Wednesday that the extension will push out the peak of the outbreak, giving hospitals more time to boost capacity, and purchase ventilators, testing supplies and masks, and other protective equipment.

Based on modeling from the University of Minnesota and others, what should have been a period of exponential growth in the transmission of the disease has been slowed greatly by distancing measures now in effect.

"What we are doing is working, Minnesota," Gov. Walz said Wednesday. “We are taking this seriously, and we are staying home. While Minnesota is showing lower rates of infections than our peers across the country, now is not the time to let up or allow that trajectory to change."

In announcing the most recent executive order, the governor said the state will begin the process of evaluating which businesses could begin to re-open if they are able to maintain social distancing.

As of Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health reports 1,154 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 271 hospitalizations and 39 fatalities.

The full executive order — which includes a list of all activities and business activities exempt from the action — can be found here.