Governor Tim Walz is urging Donald Trump and Joe Biden to abide by Minnesota's guidelines for slowing the spread of the coronavirus when the presidential candidates visit his state on Friday.
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"Partner with us in the fight against COVID-19," the Democratic governor said in a letter to both campaigns.
Trump may be running as the "law and order" candidate but that hasn't stopped him openly defying state emergency orders and flouting his own administration's guidelines at rallies in battleground states.
The president has an airport rally scheduled for Friday in the Minnesota city of Bemidji. Biden's campaign has not yet announced a city or venue for his visit.
Walz said Minnesota requires face masks inside public places and strongly encourages them for outdoor gatherings.
The governor did not say in his letter how state and local officials will respond if either campaign fails to follow the guidelines.
His spokesman Teddy Tschann said they hope to hear back from the campaigns soon and that they'll comply voluntarily instead of forcing the state to enforce its guidelines.
"We're hoping they don't put us in a position where they have to do that but that would be up to local regulatory agencies and local law enforcement," Tschann said.
While an executive order Walz signed in June contains an exemption for federal officials, Tschann said it doesn't apply to the president in this context because he's coming for a campaign rally and not in his official capacity.
But even if that exception did apply, he said, it would apply only to federal officials, and not attendees.
"To comply with the relevant guidelines, your events generally must not exceed 25 per cent capacity, not to exceed 250 people," the governor said in his letter.
"You may be able to increase total attendance if you choose a venue with multiple event spaces with separate capacity limits, as long as you limit each separate space to the lesser of 250 people or 25 per cent capacity.
"Attendees must maintain social distancing of at least six feet at all times, including when entering and exiting the event."
Walz said the guidelines were consistent with recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and from White House coronavirus task force co-ordinator Dr Deborah Birx.
Australian Associated Press
