Gov. Walz to announce Thursday whether Minnesota's stay-at-home order will be extended

Gov. Tim Walz will announce Thursday afternoon whether he will extend Minnesota’s stay-at-home order beyond Monday, May 4, when it is set to expire. 

At a press conference in Worthington Wednesday, Walz  indicated he will announce that more businesses will be allowed to open, but said his approach to reopening the economy will be like "turning a dial" not flipping on a light switch.

The stay-at-home order has been in effect since March 27 to slow the spread of COVID-19 and give the state more time to prepare for a possible surge in cases. Under the order, Minnesotans asked to limit movement outside of their homes. They are still allowed to do certain activities such as exercising outside or going to the grocery store, but they must adhere to social distancing guidelines. 

RELATED: What's open, what's closed: Updated guide to Minnesota's stay-at-home order

On Monday, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people were allowed to go back to work, as long as their employers had a plan in place that allowed employees to social distance, work from home whenever possible and stay home if they are sick. 

As of Thursday, Minnesota has had 4,644 positive cases of COVID-19 and 319 deaths attributed the disease.