Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Friday that there will be a significant easing beginning next week. COVID-19 restrictions. Bars and restaurants will be able to work at 75% and gyms at 50%, and salons and barber shops will have no limit.
Also starts on Monday 15 March:
- Social gatherings can have up to 50 people outside or 15 people indoors.
- The size of the pods for youth sports can increase to 50 for outdoor activities.
- Occupation restrictions will be removed for religious services, but social distance is needed.
Bar seats will be able to increase to parties of four and in addition to increased capacity in gyms, outdoor classes can increase up to 50 people.
According to the governors’ office, the venues can be increased to 50%, compared to 25%, inside and out, with a limit of 250.
Rules will also change for large venues from April 1st. Seating outside will be allowed to add 25% of their capacity to more than 500, with a limit of 10,000 people, while outdoor seating can add an extra 15%. their capacity is more than 500, with a limit of 10,000 people.
Seats within 15 minutes can add an additional 15% of their capacity, with a limit of 3,000 people, and indoor without seats can add 10% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 1500 people.
The Minnesota Twins play their season opener on April 8 and with the new guidelines, 10,000 fans may attend.
In a recent statement, the team said it was focused on promoting health and safety measures while reviewing the new COVID-19 protocols, CBS Minnesota reports.
“Our simple focus remains on the health, safety and well-being of every person entering Target Field; therefore we are currently reviewing the new guidelines to ensure that our comprehensive reopening plan meets all the requirements of MDH and Minneapolis’ Department of Health. We will soon announce steps, including our full beam protocols and ticket plans, “the team officials said.
The state has made extraordinary progress with vaccinations over the past month, Walz said.
“Nearly 1.2 million Minnesotans have the chance, and nearly 650,000 have been fully vaccinated. We have beaten our goal and vaccinated more than 70% of seniors,” Walz said Thursday. “More Minnesotans are now eligible for the vaccine and we get more than 40,000 shots in the arms every day.”
He said Minnesotans should continue to take steps to protect progress, but the data shows we are beating COVID-19.
“The sun is shining brighter,” he said in a statement Friday.
However, officials are cautious about new COVID-19 variants. State health officials said Thursday that Minnesota has discovered its first case of the B.1.351 variant first discovered in South Africa.
Jan Malcolm, commissioner of the health department, said: “It is important that we are not let down before we finish work.”
“COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities, and we are seeing the new variants more frequently. We need to maintain prevention measures such as masking, social distance, staying home when you are ill and being tested, where applicable. Those basic tools – together with the safe and effective vaccines – will help us end this pandemic and prevent it after the brighter days. ‘