In order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Governor Walz announced the temporary closure of Minnesota restaurants and bars to dine-in customers as well as the closure of other places of public accommodation and amusement. This order is effective March 17th at 5:00 PM until March 27 at 5:00 PM. The closures will be evaluated at the end of this 10-day period.

The Governor also issued an executive order to help ensure that workers who are not able to work as a result of COVID-19 have benefits available. Workers who are unemployed or who have hours reduced due to the COVID-19 outbreak are asked to apply for unemployment benefits online at uimn.org . The website can accept applications Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM. Please apply on the website to ensure the most efficient processing of applications during this unprecedented situation.

Employers can find employer-focused COVID-19 related information that is updated regularly on DEED's Information for Employers page .

Find out more about the actions taken on the Governor’s website .

For the most up to date information on what DEED is doing during the COVID-19 outbreak, refer to COVID-19 webpage on the DEED website .