Walz: Masks 'give us more freedom' to feel safe in community during COVID-19 pandemic
Jenny BergSARTELL — It's been almost two weeks since Gov. Tim Walz announced a mask mandate for Minnesotans in public places.
In that time, the state has distributed 4 million disposable masks to businesses — and effort to ensure no customers are turned away for forgetting a mask.
The state also is distributing 400,000 reusable cloth masks to Minnesotans who might not be able to afford or easily obtain one.
That includes 7,500 masks to Sartell-based Central Minnesota Council on Aging, where Walz visited Tuesday afternoon.
MORE: Gov. Walz issues mask requirement in Minnesota
"We're searching for that place where we can get folks back as close as possible to the way they were doing things," Walz said. "That's where the masks come in. They give us more freedom than we did before."
For seniors, that's incredibly important.
"We know that depression and loneliness can be almost as deadly as COVID-19," said Lori Vrolson, executive director at Central MN Council on Aging.
The state chose to partner with "incredibly robust, incredibly well-trusted" agencies to distribute the reusable cloth masks.
Vrolson said the organization plans to distribute the masks through local home meal delivery services and the mail to avoid distribution in a common gathering place. People can request masks by calling the Senior LinkAge Line at 1-800-333-2433.
In the early months of the pandemic, people thought COVID-19 would be the "great equalizer" because the virus doesn't discriminate in who it infects. But that hasn't been the case, Walz said.
"It exposed where there (were) inequities in the system," he said.
Providing masks is an important first step to help slow the spread of COVID-19, said Walz, who emphasized during his announcement of the mandate it will take a 90% to 95% compliance rate to be effective in reducing the infection rate - which has now been deemed a key data point determining how schools will reopen.
"Minnesotans are stepping up to help their neighbors — especially the elderly — in a way that is pretty unprecedented," he said Tuesday.
The mandate went into effect July 25.
The timing of the order should help the districts better determine how back-to-school might look come September: By mid-August, the state should be able to see if the mask mandate is helping slow the spread of the virus, Walz said.
Jenny Berg is the cities and schools reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-259-3680 or jberg@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @bergjenny.
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