Judge allows Minneapolis' vaccine-or-test mandate to stand for restaurants and bars

A Hennepin County judge denied a request from a group of Minneapolis restaurant and bar owners for the court to temporarily halt enforcement of the city’s new requirement that customers show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test.

In a ruling filed on Friday, Judge Laurie Miller rejected the claim from the seven business owners that the requirement would be so economically devastating that it must be immediately blocked as their lawsuit proceeds.

“The economic harm feared by Plaintiffs does not outweigh the City’s documented public health concerns,” Miller wrote. “The Court recognizes that the pandemic has had a devastating economic impact on bars and restaurants, but the City cannot be held responsible for general pandemic-related business losses.”

The judge called the business owners’ claims of lost revenue because of the requirement “speculative.”

“Perhaps some patrons are staying away because they fear the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Perhaps some patrons are staying home due to the weather. Perhaps some patrons have chosen to stay away from Plaintiffs’ establishments solely due to their desire to avoid having to comply with (the requirement), but that has not been shown on the record before the Court,” Miller wrote.

Read more: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/judge-allows-minneapolis-vaccine-or-test-mandate-to-stand-for-restaurant-and-bars/