Gov. Walz to announce rolling COVID curbs back Thursday

Tonight look for decreasing clouds. Rain showers are likely south in the evening. There will be areas of frost central and south after midnight – so get those plants in. Lows will be in the upper 20s to upper 30s. Thursday will be mostly sunny, with highs in the mid 50s to lower 60s. Get the latest on Updraft.

Gov. Tim Walz is planning tomorrow to lay out his plans to get Minnesota back to normal, including what a spokesperson says is a timeline for ending all COVID-19 restrictions in the state.

Walz is also going to push for more extensive vaccination efforts, as the demand for shots has slowed significantly in recent days.

Walz is laying out his plans in a televised address at noon. Watch the announcement at MPR News Facebook or YouTube channels , or listen live on our audio stream or your radio.

The number of Minnesotans fully vaccinated topped 2 million Wednesday, a landmark on the way to recovery from the pandemic.

That's about 46 percent of eligible people age 16 and over. Many more minors may be included when the Pfizer vaccine wins expected approval for kids from 12 to 15.

But vaccinations continue to show signs of softening demand, as supplies remain stable, but first doses fell to about 9,700. That is only about a third of the average over the last four Wednesdays — usually one of the low points in the weekly cycle of COVID-19 data. But the decline in first doses has turned down sharply this week, despite robust outreach and widespread availability from vaccination programs.