(MPRN) Beginning February 1, indoor dining can resume in Michigan, but can only reopen at 25% capacity with up to 100 people, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced in a press conference Friday. Concessions at casinos, movie theaters and stadiums, as well as personal services requiring mask removal will also be able to resume.
In addition to capacity restrictions, restaurants and bars must close by 10 p.m. Restaurants must also collect contact information from diners for contact tracing purposes.
“The pause has worked. The efforts we have made together to protect our families, frontline workers and hospitals have dramatically reduced cases and we have saved lives. Now, we are confident that starting February 1, restaurants can resume indoor dining with safety measures in place,” said Whitmer.
Indoor dining in Michigan has been shut down since November 18th. Industry groups welcomed the reopening news, and want restaurant workers to be given a higher priority for the vaccine.
The new order would also allow indoor residential and non-residential gathers of up to 10 people and two households. It will last three weeks, ending Sunday, February 21.
MDHHS monitored several key metrics over the past few weeks before issuing the new order. Because hospital capacity dedicated to COVID-19 patients has declined over the last seven weeks, case rates are currently at 225 cases per million, and positivity rate is at 6.8% and declining, the state felt comfortable issuing the new order.