In the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus situation, on March 18 Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith-DeCoux declared a local emergency at a city council special meeting.
Councilmember Anton Moody motioned with a second from Kelly Swearingen declaring, “Whereas, Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019, commonly known as ‘COVID-19,’ which is a respiratory disease that can result in serious injury or death, is spreading globally and has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic.”
The motion was approved unanimously.
A discussion was held about whether or not to keep the liquor store open. On March 17 sales at the liquor store were similar to what they are during the terrifically busy days of the Fisherman’s Picnic. However, due to the layout of the store, it is tough to keep customers six feet apart. Councilor Tim Kennedy motioned to close the liquor store. His motion was seconded Moody, and it was approved unanimously.
Council will revisit closing the liquor store at the next March 25 meeting and decide whether the liquor store is an essential service (or not) and then determine how best to protect the health of the employees and community if it is decided to reopen it.
To comply with social distancing, the council decided to start meeting via technology. Communications Director Patrick Knight assisted council members in setting up their computers, laptops, phones so they could attend the next meeting electronically. The public will now be able to provide public comment via email before upcoming meetings.
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