Norton's response to Walz Executive order

Keeping Minnesota home a little longer

But first tonight... governor tim walz today signed an executive order to extend the stay at home order for two additional weeks.

The order keeps bars and restaurants takeou?only until may 18th, but also makes changes to allow some additional retail store operations.

Kimt news three's george mallet joins us live in rochester with more on the governor's order and reaction.

Live katie, i'm out here at a largely vacant city hall this evenin?

Really for symbolic reasons.

Because i spoke with mayor kim norton immediately after the governor's news conference.

She is obviously working from home.

We'll get to her comments in a momen?

But first let's get to the basics of executive order 2?48 the executive measure extends the stay at home order that was set to expire monday for an additional two weeks.

Stil?

It will allow retail businesses to use curbside pick up starting monday.

Gov walz: those who are saying we should open up as fast as we possibly can because this is causing huge economic damage and we should figure out a way to do that, that is the safest possible way to that, those people are right.

That is exactly what we should be doing and that's what the state of minnesota is doing.

The governor says there is more work to be done and says we need to keep this virus at a simmer not a boil.

Within minutes of hearing from governor walz, i got rochester mayor kim norton on the line by way of facetime.

She had encouraging words for those of us who might be frustrated by today's news.

Mayor norton: i think we all just need to stick together for another few weeks, all our hair looks bad, it's not just your neighbor's.

It's all of us, so we just need to stick together, you know, hold onto the governor's, kind of stay at home request for just a few more weeks and if we do it, i think we'll be able to start moving into a more normal routine shortly.

That comment from the mayor followed a lighter moment when she and i were each lamenting the difficulties we are having with our hair.

Overall, though, the mayor is encourage by how rochester and minnesota as a whole have responded to this crisi?

And how successful we have been at flattening the curve, being good neighbors and so much more.

We're live at city hall tonight.

George mallet kimt news 3.

Katie back to you.

We will hear more from both mayor norton and governor walz coming up tonight on kimt news three at ten.