Gov. Tim Walz is removing occupancy limits for religious services, but social distancing guidelines remain, beginning at noon March 15. The change was among a series of “adjustments” Walz announced March 12 loosening state restrictions that have been in place for nearly a year to mitigate spread of COVID-19.

Prior to this change, worship occupancy was limited to 50% space capacity, with social distancing. The restriction’s rollback also applies to weddings.

Walz’s administration has been incrementally “turning the dial” to loosen gathering restrictions since March 2020, when he signed his first Stay-at-Home order, effectively shutting down many businesses and public gatherings for weeks. At that time, Archbishop Bernard Hebda also suspended the celebration of public Masses, although parishes were permitted to keep their churches open for prayer.

In May, as some businesses were permitted to reopen in limited capacities, Minnesota’s bishops challenged Walz’s worship restrictions — then at a limit of 10 people — and arrived at an agreement for places of worship to reopen to 25% capacity, with a total limit of 250 for large places of worship, such as the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

The governor expanded public worship capacity to 50% in June, leaving the 250-person cap intact. In January, he lifted the 250-person cap while retaining the 50% capacity restriction.

In a press conference announcing the March 15 changes, Walz noted that the adjustments come exactly a year after he declared a state of emergency due to the pandemic.

“This pandemic has changed us, but there’s so many ways it’s changed us for the positive, too,” he said. “It makes us understand how precious our time with family is, how precious community is, and for one thing, it lets us know that our actions impact those around us greatly. We made progress, Minnesota. Those hard decisions that have been painful — those missed family gatherings, those businesses that were asked to close to protect health. It’s made a difference.”

Other changes Walz’s administration announced March 12 include removing household limits for social gatherings, with guidance that they should be held outdoors with a 50-person maximum; expanding gym occupancy from 25% to 50%, and increasing bar and restaurant capacity from 50% to 75%.

In the press conference, Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm emphasized that Minnesotans must continue to take precautions to minimize the spread of COVID-19, especially as the state addresses the introduction of new COVID-19 variants.

“It’s just really important that we keep the cases down, even as we are getting more people vaccinated,” she said. “This is really a race against time. It’s getting people vaccinated before these variants can take hold.”