REGIONAL- Restaurants and bars can provide an additional hour of on-premises service beginning Saturday, as Gov. Tim Walz announced today that he would relax some business operating restrictions amid improving indicators of the coronavirus pandemic.

Walz extended the time restaurants and bars can be open for inside and outside service to 11 p.m., and while capacity is still capped at 50 percent of fire code capacity the maximum number an establishment can host was bumped from 150 to 250 people, a revision benefiting venues large enough to host over 300.

The “limited to no more than” size of private celebrations, receptions, parties, and other private events was raised from 10 to 50 people, and events serving food and beverages may now last until 11 p.m.

Indoor entertainment venues, gyms, health clubs, and pools remain capped at a maximum of 25 percent of normal occupant capacity, but larger venues that can accommodate that standard while maintaining minimum distancing requirements may host up to 250 people.

"Our small businesses have made enormous sacrifices for the health of their employees and communities," Walz said. "Today, we can make these cautious, common sense adjustments to support them because of the progress we have made controlling the spread of COVID-19 and getting the most at-risk Minnesotans vaccinated."

“While these measures are not a major dial turn, we know that they will make a difference to thousands of businesses and workers across the state,” said Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove.

The statewide COVID test positivity rate has plummeted from November’s high of 15.6 percent to 3.9 percent as of last week, and other measures of the pandemic’s severity have seen similar dramatic drops.

However, left unchanged by Walz are the restrictions placed on school winter sports activities for athletes to wear masks and crowd sizes to be limited to just two individuals per player.