Minnesota Optimistic Feel Heading into Summer

Finally, after being cooped up for the last year or so, people are feeling a lot more confident about going out and enjoying what Minnesota has to offer.  This includes restaurants, entertainment, festivals, outdoor activities and finally more indoor activities.  More and more people are getting vaccinated and that is proving to be a movement towards people getting back to "normal".

There is still some hesitation about having normal capacities indoors, but even that is improving.

According to OpenTable.com, a popular online reservation site, nationwide restaurant traffic on May 30, 2021 -- the Sunday before Memorial Day -- eclipsed 2019 totals on the same weekend by 12%. In Minnesota, the Sunday before Memorial Day this year ran just seven percentage points behind 2019.   

But there are individual cities that are far from the pre-pandemic levels.  KARE 11 reported that Minneapolis is far from that level, but one has to think that some of that is because the restrictions haven't been lifted in that city, or in St. Paul.  Here in St. Cloud, the restrictions have been lifted.  Just heading out over the weekend, I definitely noticed an uptick in capacity at local restaurants and bars.

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Locally I have heard people saying that they are glad to get out and enjoy what the area has to offer without having to sit separately from the rest of your group if more than 6 people.  And not having to wear a mask anymore really helps people want to get out and do what you normally would do in a Minnesota summer.  Enjoy the outdoor patios and hang out.  There are so many people that woudn't even go places that required a mask, because of their own personal beliefs.  But now that mandate has been lifted, and more people getting vaccinated, the level of attendance has increased.

Cheers to another Minnesota summer- without pandemic restrictions.