Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz’s COVID policies during the 2020-2021 pandemic included a stay-at-home order, required masking, school closures, and a state hotline for residents to report others who violated government guidelines.
On March 25, 2020, Walz replaced his initial stay-at-home order with another one that allowed for gatherings of friends and family of 10 people or less. By July 2, he signed another executive order requiring Minnesotans to wear a face covering in indoor businesses and indoor public settings.
“Right now there’s no better way to demonstrate our Minnesotan values than by wearing a mask,” he declared.
That same month, the state of Minnesota implemented a hotline for residents to report violators of COVID-19 orders; it was reportedly monitored by law enforcement until November 2020.
“A hotline set up by Gov. Tim Walz’s administration to monitor compliance with his 2020 stay-at-home order generated thousands of reports from Minnesotans who snitched on their neighbors for things like playing basketball in a park, walking their dogs, and throwing small parties,” Alpha News reported in July 2022. “The hotline was launched in March 2020 and law enforcement continued to monitor it until November, well after the stay-at-home order ended.”
The hotline angered the state’s top Republican, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, who tweeted, “Please take this hotline down @GovTimWalz. It’s not necessary and it’s not how Minnesotans want to treat each other. We can all show a bit of kindness to our neighbors as we manage our times and needs differently in the stay-at-home efforts.”
Walz responded, “It is being used, and we simply want to let people be able to call and let folks know. It’s for their own good. If we see people that may not be as informed on this, it’s an educational piece.”
In August 2020, the Upper Midwest Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of 16 Minnesota citizens, business owners, and churches, challenging Walz’s executive order mandating masks in indoor public spaces. “UMLC argued that the Governor was taking upon himself the whole legislative power of the State, but only the state legislature has the authority to enact such laws consistent with the Minnesota Constitution,” UMLC noted.
In May, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Walz’s actions were constitutional and he acted within his executive powers.
Walz did not remove the statewide mask requirement until May 13, 2021, stating, “This great day is possible because vaccines have proven to be effective.”
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