Minneapolis, St. Paul mayors rescind vaccine-or-test regulations for some businesses

The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Thursday lifted their vaccine-or-test requirements for restaurants and bars, citing the drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Since mid-January, residents in the twin cities have been required to show proof of vaccination or of a negative COVID-19 test from within the past three days.

The measure had been contested in the courts, with a group of Minneapolis bars and restaurants suing to have it lifted. Hennepin County Judge Laurie J. Miller ultimately ruled to uphold the rule, saying the city cannot be held responsible for pandemic-related business loss.

Speaking to the Star Tribune in an interview published on Thursday, Minneapolis interim Health Commissioner Heidi Ritchie said, “We always want to try and be as least invasive as possible when we’re coming from a public health perspective.”

“We felt like in the areas where there were people who were eating and drinking and they couldn’t feasibly wear a mask, that vaccination was really the best way to keep everybody safe,” said Ritchie. “At this point with the transmission rates dropping the way that they are, the hospitalization rates not as precarious as they were, we’re comfortable pulling that more invasive regulation backwards.”

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said in a statement he was “grateful” to be in a different situation pandemic wise, the Tribune reported.

“While I encourage residents to continue to get vaccinated, wear masks, and practice social distancing while indoors, the sharp decline in cases and hospitalizations means we can safely lift the vaccine requirement in our city,” said Carter.

Frey said this development was a “welcomed sign” for his city and called for people to “hold the momentum and bring our city back in full by continuing to follow public health guidance and supporting local businesses.”

According to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker, Minnesota has a 7-day moving average of about 5,000 new COVID-19 cases, a similar rate to when the omicron wave was just beginning to take hold in in early January.