Restaurant owners sue Minneapolis and Mayor Jacob Frey over vaccine warrant | Top stories

A business group has sued the city of Minneapolis and Mayor Jacob Frey over the new rule that customers must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter restaurants, bars and other indoor venues .

The lawsuit filed Thursday night in Hennepin County District Court included the owners of a number of downtown establishments, including the Smack Shack, Gay 90’s, Sneaky Pete’s and Bunkers Music Bar and Grill. They want a judge to stop the city from enforcing the new requirement.

Minneapolis’ vaccination mandate went into effect Wednesday, a week after Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter jointly announced that cities would institute a vaccine or testing mandate to help curb the continued spread of the virus. virus.

Customers must provide either proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken under medical supervision within the last 72 hours.

The plaintiffs say these requirements pose significant challenges and contradict advice and recommendations from the state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and medical experts across the country, “all of which categorically promote and encourage testing.” home”. The purpose of the warrant is an attempt to induce the general public to get vaccinated, the plaintiffs say.

Frey, who announced the measure a week after indoor mask mandates were reinstated, argued that aggressive moves to require vaccines in indoor dining rooms are a critical next step to avoid closures as the rate of The city’s community transmission exceeds 1,300 cases per 100,000 people, putting the city in “the high-risk area category,” according to CDC criteria.

This is a developing story. Check starttribune.com for updates.