COVID19 FAQs

Governor Walz made several peace time emergency executive orders over the past year and a half.  The Peace time emergency and each of the excutive orders related to the Peace Time Emergency were intended to be temporary and effectively ended on July 1, 2021.  This does not mean that each element of the Peace Time Emergency order is completely reverted to pre-COVID-19 status; as the eviction moratorium is still in effect through legislative action, with a phase out that is ongoing (see Eviction Moratorium update).

Orders related to mandatory face masking on a statewide level have been removed but many local guidelines are still in place, so it’s important to know what the current requirements are for your community.  The CDC also has guidelines to consider and to review.  Further, individual businesses may still require masks usage.

The State Mask mandate was rescinded along with the requirement for businesses to require visitors to wear a face-covering.  Workers entering into another person’s living unit for a business purpose are no longer required to wear a face-covering when doing so, however the CDC still recommends that in-home service providers wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, and limit interactions.

Note, however, that Realtors® cannot access or use, or permit or enable others to access or use, listed or managed property on terms or conditions other than those authorized by the owner. Therefore, if the owner has required a face-covering as a condition for entry, then a Realtor® must comply with that owner’s requirement.  So, individual sellers may still require all parties to a showing be masked and those instructions should be followed.  Businesses may implement their own lawful policies or rules related to the conduct of employees, tenants, customers, etc. including lawful face-covering requirements.  

Local governments may implement additional restrictions in relation to the public health crisis that are more protective of the public health.  Therefore, you should become familiar with any potential local government ordinances that may require businesses to continue similar face-covering requirements.

There are no longer any statewide peacetime emergency orders in place outside of the Eviction Moritorium “Off Ramp,” which will be gradually reduced over the next several months.  (See Eviction Moratorium update)

Our offices are open, but some of our staff members continue to work from home. You can certainly contact all staff electronically and on the phone, and in-person visits can be scheduled in advance.   Our normal business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.  Please reach out to the appropriate staff member with your questions.

The Legal Hotline is available Monday through Friday from 9am – 12pm and 1pm – 4pm (CST) with our lawyers on standby ready to answer your questions.

Online Submission: Brokers and office managers can also submit Legal Hotline questions online anytime, 24/7. Your query will be forwarded to a staff attorney who will respond as soon as possible, but no longer than 24 hours. Click here for more information on the Legal Hotline.

You can take a variety of online CE courses through Continuing Ed Express, including GRI courses, the DOC-required module, and other CE opportunities. At this time, is is not clear when in-person classes will resume, so we encourage you take advantage of the online course offerings.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Legislature is dramatically scaling back operations at the Capitol.  All regularly scheduled committee meetings have been cancelled and the Legislature will be going on an extended recess until April 14.  Legislative Leaders also announced a narrowing of the work for the remainder of the Session that will focus on:

• The state's COVID-19 response
• "Mission critical" measures for state, such as a bonding bill
• Any legislation that has bipartisan agreement

Despite the lack of face-to-face access with legislators, MN Realtors^® lobbying team will continue meeting by phone and via other virtual forms of electronic communication to represent the interests of our members.