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Analysis of COVID-19 numbers in Minnesota

Almost exactly a year after they were put in place, Minnesota is easing back some of its COVID-19 restrictions, taking another step toward some semblance normalcy into the spring.

Gov. Tim Walz announced the new, more lenient restrictions Friday morning

vaccination progress and falling infection numbers

Beginning noon March 15, bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers at 75 percent capacity. Salons, barber shops and churches won’t have capacity limits at all, but will still be required to follow social distancing guidelines. 

Small gatherings will be more open, as well, with groups of 50 people allowed to mingle outdoors, and groups of 15 indoors, with no limit on the number of households allowed to be represented.

“It’s not over,” Walz said. “We’re not turning the dial all the way to 11. We are turning it up, though, to a point where normalcy is on the horizon.”

Even large event venues will expand capacity early next month — which means the Minnesota Twins will be allowed to host up to 10,000 fans at Target Field for their home opener in April. 

Vaccinations up; U campuses to reopen fully in fall

Walz OKs larger gatherings, fans at Twins games

Details

What does this all mean for life in Minnesota? Here’s what you need to know.

, and we’ll track down the answer. We’ll continue to update this FAQ as new questions — and answers — arise.

What’s included in these latest rollbacks?

There’s a long list of specifics — and guidance for individual circumstances and industries — 

 for pools, swim parks, youth sports, reception spaces, large private events and working from home, set to go into effect March 15 and April 1.

Are these changes the start of a full return to normal? 

Maybe. But state health officials said they’ll be watching infection rates — and will be tracking variants of the virus — closely over the next few weeks. If those rates continue to fall, Walz said he thinks it will be possible to ease restrictions further. 

But if the emerging variants cause a spike in cases, hospitalizations or deaths, state officials say restrictions could be ratcheted back up. 

With new variants on the rise, is this really the time to open things up?

 Friday where he acknowledged that increasing capacity at bars and restaurants, family gatherings and Twins games is not without risk. 

Michael Osterholm, a prominent epidemiologist and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, 

about the new B.1.1.7. variant of COVID-19 — the so-called U.K. variant — which has proven to be more infectious and more dangerous than the original strain. He has even suggested that officials should reconsider opening schools to in-person learning. 

Walz said he and his team took those risks into account. Their decision to ease restrictions, he said, was based on Minnesota’s relatively high vaccination rate, advanced computer modeling and a desire to balance the health of Minnesota’s economy with the health of its people.

And if the variants do cause a spike, he said, more stringent restrictions can always be put back in place. 

On how COVID variants could change the pandemic's trajectory

Masks will likely be the last COVID-19 mitigation measure to go, state officials say. Walz said masks are an inexpensive and incredibly effective tool for limiting the spread of the virus. They’re not popular with everyone, but too effective to abandon.  

How do people keep themselves safe, as things reopen?

State leaders said the best way to stay safe as the state opens is to cling to the basics: Wear a mask. Stay socially distanced. Get a vaccine if it’s offered to you. 

The strategies haven’t changed much, but state leaders said they’re as important as ever.  

What does this mean for activities like youth sports? 

Youth sports pose a complex set of risks. 

Recent reports in which outbreaks — and, specifically, outbreaks involving COVID-19 variants — were associated with youth sports have been top of mind for state health officials. 

Even so, state officials said they are cautiously optimistic, without offering too many specifics on which events will be allowed to go forward.

State officials Friday reiterated that organized sports’ practices and games will continue to be open, but with limited spectators, according to the changing rules around capacity and venues. 

Tournaments, according to the state’s guidance, continue to be allowed but discouraged — as is out-of-state play.

Mask requirements, at games and practices, will remain for the foreseeable future. 

My local bar can serve more people now. Can I stay later, too? 

Even while pulling back restrictions on bars and restaurants from 50 percent to 75 percent capacity, state officials elected to keep one of its more controversial restrictions in place: the 11 p.m. curfew.  

DEED Commissioner Steve Grove said the curfew question was heavily debated. 

“When you see outbreaks at bars, they often happen later in the evening,” he said. “Alcohol plays a role in decision-making. We’re not quite ready to move that restriction.” 

Will I be allowed to travel for the walleye fishing opener? 

Thousands of anglers typically travel north for Minnesota’s May 15 walleye fishing opener. Last year’s official Governor’s Fishing Opener 

was canceled by the start of the pandemic

, though fishing season went on as usual.

State health officials continue to recommend against unnecessary travel, but they’re optimistic about the possibility for this year’s opener. 

By then, vaccination rates will likely be high, Walz said. He told Minnesotans to buckle down, wear a mask — but make fishing plans. 

“I really want this opener,” he said. “I anticipate we’re going to be able to have it.”

Have questions about the new restrictions? 

 and we’ll try to track down the answer.

Data in these graphs are based on the Minnesota Department of Health's cumulative totals released at 11 a.m. daily. You can find more detailed statistics on COVID-19 at the 

The coronavirus is transmitted through respiratory droplets, coughs and sneezes, similar to the way the flu can spread.

Full coverage from MPR News

What you need to know

John Enger

Author

Almost exactly a year after they were put in place, Minnesota is easing back some of its COVID-19 restrictions, taking another step toward some semblance normalcy into the spring.


Evan Frost | MPR News

A graphic from the state about re-opening.

Baseball, gatherings and weddings: Minnesota pulls back on some COVID restrictions

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