Minnesota calls on Trump, Biden to follow virus guidelines

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Tuesday to abide by the state's guidelines for slowing the spread of the coronavirus when the candidates visit Minnesota on Friday.

“Partner with us in the fight against COVID-19,” the Democratic governor said in a letter to both campaigns.

Trump may be running as the “law and order” candidate, but that hasn’t stopped him and his campaign from openly defying state emergency orders and flouting his own administration’s guidelines as he holds rallies in battleground states. Trump has an airport rally scheduled for Friday in the north-central Minnesota city of Bemidji. Biden’s campaign has not yet announced a city or venue for his visit.

Walz said Minnesota requires face masks inside public places and strongly encourages them for outdoor gatherings.

The governor did not say in his letter how state and local officials will respond if either campaign fails to follow the guidelines for their events. Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann said they hope to hear back from the campaigns soon, and that they'll comply voluntarily instead of forcing the state to enforce its guidelines.

“We're hoping they don't put us in a position where they have to do that, but that would be up to local regulatory agencies and local law enforcement,” Tschann said.

While an executive order that Walz signed in June contains an exemption for federal officials, Tschann said it doesn't apply to the president in this context because he's coming for a campaign rally and not acting in his official capacity. But even if that exception did apply, he said, it would apply only to federal officials, and not attendees.

“To comply with the relevant guidelines, your events...