St. Cloud Sun

Sen. Jerry Relph is in favor of reopening the state, sooner rather than later. 

While grateful for the compassion that Minnesotans have shown throughout this difficult time, he acknowledges there are significant disagreements about how to emerge from this crisis.

"I am thankful for the sacrifices Minnesotans have made over the past month – we are seeing results," Relph said in a Facebook post. "As we move forward, we must use logic and reasoning to make these major decisions – not agendas or emotions. Where it is safe to do so, we need to start reopening our economy. It will be a very slow process, but we need to begin."

Relph said that in reopening the state, the governor should consider what is safe, not what is essential, what can be done that allows a business to continue to work but does not expose customers and employees beyond a reasonable risk.

Gov. Tim Walz's stay-at-home order has been extended to May 4. All nonessential businesses have been ordered to close, but the critical sector exemption has allowed businesses to appeal their necessity to the state and, in some cases, have been granted permission to operate. The governor has ordered his staff to determine which businesses and employees should be allowed to return to work. 

The Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus is asking business owners to provide input on which businesses should be able to reopen with proper safety measures in place. More information about Open Up Minnesota can be found here.