Governor Walz has issued Executive Order 20-20, directing Minnesotans to limit movements outside of their homes beyond essential needs from March 27 at 11:59 p.m. to April 10 at 5:00 p.m. We understand that you may have questions about how this will impact your business. The resources below will help you determine eligibility for business exemptions.  If you have questions about this exemption or concerns if your business is not part of the Critical Sectors list, please reach out to your DHA professional.  You can also submit inquiries to CriticalSectors@state.mn.us.

According to Section 6, Exemptions – Critical Sectors (of the executive order): All workers who can work from home must do so.  Workers in Critical Sectors who are performing work that cannot be done at their home or residence through telework or virtual work and can be done only at a place of work outside of their home or residence are exempted from the Stay at Home prohibition.  See the executive order (link below) for full details and a outline of Critical Sectors.

There are three resources that provide guidance to help you determine if your business is in a critical industry/sector:

  1. Executive Order 20-20
  2. The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security’s Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response
    • More information about the DHS’s definition of Critical Infrastructure Sectors here
  3. List of NAICS Codes determined to be critical industries
    • If there is a ‘yes’ in the column for critical industries in the row for your industry, your business is eligible for a categorical exemption and does NOT need to apply for a specific exemption. There is nothing more for you to do.
    • If there is a ‘no’ in the column for critical industries in the row for your industry, you may still apply for a specific exemption. If you would like to request a specific exemption, please go to this link.

Full details about  can be found on the DEED website