The Walz administration could ask the legislature — possibly in a special session that might happen this month — to enact certain statewide regulations as COVID delta cases continue surging in Minnesota. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm acknowledged one area they’re looking at is masks in school classrooms — now left up to local districts:
“The idea of a statewide approach to that certainly would be on the list of issues that we…, from the Health Department’s perspective, would suggest would be a good thing to discuss with the legislature.”
Such a proposal would likely face stiff opposition from Republicans who control the state Senate. Lino Lakes Senator Roger Chamberlain:
“The districts have a lot of information from over a year of this stuff…. and we need to leave it up to those districts and those communities.”