'Biggest turn yet' in Minnesota's COVID rollbacks coming Friday

(FOX 9) - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he will announce a rollback of the state’s COVID-related restrictions on businesses and gatherings on Friday morning that will be "the biggest turn yet."

The announcement comes as Minnesota expanded vaccine eligibility to 1.8 million more people this week after surpassing its goal of getting 70% of seniors vaccinated.

Who is eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in Minnesota starting Wednesday

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to 1.8 million people with underlying health conditions and frontline essential workers on Wednesday, three weeks ahead of his initial timeline.

"I think you’ll start to see the dial turns [happen] faster" as vaccines become widely available, Walz told reporters Wednesday.

Regarding proms and graduations for high school students in May and June, Walz said, "I think those things will happen."

The governor will also announce limits on sports attendance Friday morning. The Twins have been pushing Walz for 30 days of lead time about how many tickets they can sell for the April 8 home opener.

Over 1.1 million people in Minnesota have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the latest state health data shows. Walz said over 2.5 million Minnesotans could be vaccinated by the middle of April.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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