Michigan is rolling back some of its COVID-19 restrictions as new infections shrink and vaccinations ramp up, MLive has confirmed.
Starting Friday, March 5, Michigan restaurants can open at 50% capacity instead of 25% and stay open until 11 p.m. instead of 10 p.m., according to sources with knowledge of the governor’s plans. The order will last through April 19.
Whitmer announced the changes at her 2 p.m. press conference on Tuesday, March 2.
“All of these re-engagements will enable Michiganders to enjoy more of life’s simplest pleasures that have been disrupted over the past year,” Whitmer said. “We’re getting there, Michigan. This is good news.”
The 25% capacity limit and 10 p.m. curfew have been in place since Michigan’s dine-in ban was lifted Feb. 1.
The changes were first reported by
the Detroit Free Press, which also reported:
- Restaurants and bars may have 50% indoor dining capacity, up to 100 people. Tables must still be 6 feet apart, with a max of six people at a table. A curfew on indoor dining is still in effect, but this order bumps it back from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Retail shops are allowed to operate at 50% indoor capacity, up from 30%.
- Indoor private residential gatherings are capped at 15 people from three separate households. Outdoor residential gatherings are allowed to have up to 50 people.
- Indoor gatherings involving people from different households are allowed to have up to 25 people. This likely means public events, like city council meetings, and small public gatherings can legally resume in-person.
- Outdoor gatherings can resume with up to 300 people.
- Venues like movie theaters, bowling alleys and other entertainment purveyors may also increase indoor capacity to 50%, up to 300 people.
- Athletic stadiums and arenas that seat 10,000 people or fewer may allow up to 375 attendees. If the seating capacity is above 10,000, they can have 750 people.
- Casinos are allowed to function at 30% indoor capacity.
- Gyms are allowed to operate at 30% capacity, but workout machines must remain at least six feet apart.
Here’s a look at what Michigan’s restrictions have been like since Feb. 4.
The last few weeks have proven restaurants aren’t a “significant contributor” to spreading COVID-19, said Scott Ellis, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association.
“Moving the capacity limit from 25% to 50% is a step in the right direction, but we are truly disappointed that the 100-person cap will carry over,” Ellis said in a news release. “Larger establishments with greater capacity limits have more space to spread patrons out. If people are abiding by social distancing rules, there’s no need for an arbitrary cap for any establishment regardless of size.”
Most of Michigan’s latest health orders have been set for three weeks, so the length of the new order through April 19 is also a concern, said Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association.
“The six-week duration of this order is concerning and significantly too long to adapt to rapidly changing metrics around this virus,” Winslow said in a statement. “We are hopeful that this (MDHHS) order represents a paradigm shift in the administration’s overall approach to the hospitality industry, accepting that the dramatically reduced hospitalization rate and increased vaccine distribution mean our most vulnerable populations are protected and that reopening should advance in a timely manner.”
State leaders have been at odds with business groups since last spring about which restrictions are appropriate. More than a dozen chambers of commerce signed onto a letter Monday asking Whitmer to move to a
“graduated reopening of restaurants.”
The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association
has argued for specific triggers to indicate when businesses can open with a higher capacity – but the state has refused to use such a system. The MRLA has also advocated in recent weeks for Michigan to move to 50% capacity in restaurants.
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