Mahoney Discusses Loosening of Business Restrictions

 

Fargo Mayor Open to Loosening Business Restrictions

(Fargo, ND) -- Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney says there may be some room in the near future to relax business restrictions in the city.  Mahoney tells WZFG Radio that he's been in communication with Governor Doug Burgum about loosening some of the rules imposed by the Governor in his March order. 

When asked about the possibility of opening businesses up in a structured setting to avoid permanent closure, Mahoney said he “very much feels the pain and hurt these people are having right now.” He says he would love to have restaurants open again.  “I think that, in the next ten days, if we don’t see a marked increase, I think it’s a great time to have that discussion,” Mahoney said. “We’re going to have that discussion now.”

On March 20, Burgum closed all restaurants, bars, breweries and cafes—essentially anyone offering on-site dining—to on-sale, on-site dining, meaning deliveries, takeouts, curbside and drive-through were the only options. Also included were recreational facilities, health clubs, athletic facilities, movie theaters and music or entertainment venues.  One week later, Burgum extended the closures to include cosmetologists, barbers, tattoo and body art facilities, tanning facilities and massage facilities.  Originally, these closures were until April 6. On  April 1, the closures were extended and are tentatively scheduled to expire on April 20.

Mahoney says he’s hearing that the closures are “killing” businesses. “Maybe we’ll do spacing,” Mahoney said. “Maybe we’ll wear masks when we go out to dinner. Sit down, eat our meal and then put our mask back on.”  He says the key question for Governor Burgum is simple, “What are the markers that would allow us to go back to that?”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has said he will be announcing, on Wednesday, a plan to remove some restrictions that caused losses of jobs and economic pain, while still responding to the pandemic.

“They’re having huge numbers, so I’m curious what he’s thinking about relaxing some of the restrictions,” Mahoney said of Walz’s announcement.

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For the full interview please go to:  https://www.am1100theflag.com/news/16810-how-soon-will-businesses-open-fargo-mayor-tim-mahoney-tells-us-about-talks-governor