We don't know much, but something new is coming on the reopening front today. Steve Grove, the commissioner of employment and economic development, broke the news on Twitter: "Phased plans for Bars, Restaurants & places of public accommodation coming tomorrow, May 20."
And remember: Any reopening can be reversed. Gov. Tim Walz has said he won’t hesitate to retighten restrictions if coronavirus cases shoot up and hospitals come under strain. He kept the stay-home order in place for nearly two months to check the spread of the disease and push back the expected peak so it would not overwhelm the state’s health care system, one of his biggest fears.
Jason Lewis is suing Walz, claiming COVID-19 restrictions are getting in the way of his U.S. Senate campaign. Via Brian Bakst: "The case is just one of several lawsuits over the governor’s coronavirus orders. But the unique nature of it could earn Lewis attention , something harder for political candidates to come by with COVID-19 still dominating the public’s attention. Lewis, a former congressman, is among the Republicans seeking the nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith. Lewis argues that the now-lapsed stay-at-home order and other continuing restrictions have kept him from campaign activities 'such as rallies, meetings, dinners, and speeches.'"
President Trump is defending his use of a malaria drug as medical experts worry his actions could spur widespread misuse. The AP reports: "Trump's revelation a day earlier that he was taking hydroxychloroquine caught many in his administration by surprise and set off an urgent effort by officials to justify his action. But their attempt to address the concerns of health professionals was undercut by the president himself. He asserted without evidence that a study of veterans raising alarm about the drug was 'false' and an 'enemy statement,' even as his own government warned that the drug should be administered for COVID-19 only in a hospital or research setting."
