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Coronavirus In Minnesota: Lawn Workers Amped To Be Able To Return To Work

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thursday is the first day lawn care companies were allowed to go back to work in Minnesota. Gov. Tim Walz's extended stay at home order gives some companies that can social distance the opportunity to reopen.

Edina Seasonal Services had crews ready to go bright and early, as this is the news they've been waiting for.

It's the time of year you typically see lawn care and landscaping crews hard at work. They're now back at it, after standing down during the original stay at home order.

We've been ready to go for the past two Monday's. Unlike the last two springs where we've been plowing snow on April 15th. So this delayed us just in a different way," Edina Seasonal Services co-owner Phil Moll said.

Edina Seasonal Services paid their two dozen employees during that time, getting close to having to make hard decisions.

While waiting for the state to see they can do their job during the pandemic how they always do it, apart.

"We're in an industry that's outside. Two guys are pretty much on a crew and they're never really near each other," Moll said.

With restarting, they're following the governor's order. They're practicing social distancing, staggering start times and making sure there's just one person to a vehicle. Spring clean-ups will cover the next few weeks.

"We're blowing all the leaves and debris out of the landscape areas, edging the curb line," Moll said.

Some customers have cancelled because they were home and did it themselves. Moll says there may be more with people out of work.

But they are grateful to get back to business.

"It was a huge weight lifted off just as much for knowing we could get out there and get working. Just to know that we didn't ultimately have to give any bad news to our employees," Moll said.

While they catch up on a few weeks of missed good weather, keep in mind, they'll get to you.

"Please be patient. We are coming as quickly as possible. We just want to make sure we're still doing the best job we can do," Moll said.

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