AFTER THE OUTBREAK: Reopening Rochester - Mayor's plan

We're finding out what's in the works when it comes to Rochester's plan to reopen

Weather forecast is next.

The power to get us back to some sort of normal goes beyond our local leaders& but that doesn't mean rochester's elected officials are waiting around for that day to come.

In tonight's installment of our fiv?part series "after the outbreak?

Reoepening rochester"?

Kimt news 3's jessica bringe is learning what the city of rochester is doing*now to get ready for when the time comes to reopen.xxx on the scene a little more space between tables at restaurants..

Maybe fewer people shopping alongside you at the mall.

That's what mayor kim norton says life may look like after the stay at home order is lifted in minnesota?

Which has now been in place nearing on four weeks.

But norton tells me the city has been working during that time to build the framework which will be used to start reopening rochester.

Being able to visit loved ones& hugging our friends and neighbors..

Even grabbing a bite to eat with c?

Workers.

When will we get to do these things again?

That's mostly up to our state's governor.

"we're talking 1?months.

I said, 'it's not feasible to shelter everybody for 18 months, it's not sustainable."

Right now?

Minnesota's stay at home order is set to expire in just a few weeks?

On may fourth.

"i think day to day is what i keep telling people.

We need to find out what things are working."

Whether governor walz extends the order or not is still up in the air?

But closer to home?

Rochester city leaders are working on a plan to partially reopen based on a plan from the department of economic development& and the state's guidance.

"what should a business do when they reopen?

What should it look like?

How do we have distancing?

Are masks required?

For employees are temperatures going to be taken?

Just starting to have those discussions."

Norton explains that businesses reopening and regulations relaxing will look like the spigot of a faucet& with things slowly trickling open.

What we don't want to do is open it full force and think things are going to run normally because they won't.

The virus is still out there and we still have many, many people who are susceptible.

I asked mayor norton if she thinks certain businesses will be able to open before others& and at this point?

She's not sure.

But there are some businesses the city believes are easier to regulate than others.

Stores that are able to have just a few people in at a time and keep that distancing, that stores might limit the number of people that come in.

Restaurants may move their table a little further apart.

Norton asks that people?

And businesses?

Be flexible as things unfold over the rest of this year.

It's going to be exciting for people to get back out but we're going to have a little bit of restraint and patience and do things a little bit differently potentially for the next year or longer.

But the mayor wants to assure the community the city is going to be ready for the day rochester can reopen.

I don't have a roadmap yet but we are designing the roadmap.

Other measures the city is on tomorrow's installment of "after the outbreak?

Reopening rochester"... jessica is finding out what it will take to get rochester "back to business"... and the extent to which our local economy will recover..

Of course you can watch that right here on kimt news 3 at five./// wednesday is still on track