LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Friday announced restaurants may reopen on a limited basis to indoor dining starting Monday, February 1. Restaurants must meet certain requirements for indoor dining, including at 25 percent limit on indoor diners, with a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Whitmer told reporters “the pause worked.” (Listen to the full press conference.)
This order will also allow concessions at casinos, movie theaters and stadiums; personal services requiring mask removal; and non-residential gatherings of up to 10 people from two households. The new order will last three weeks, until Sunday, February 21.
One way she said she aims to help those businesses recovered from the COVID-19-related shutdowns is with a legislative package but she state lawmakers need to pass the bills to make some of those programs real.
“Let’s get this done for the people we serve,” she said, noting that an extension of unemployment benefits to 26 weeks — as more than 40 other states have done — is a key strategy.
Whitmer said “incredible strides” are being made in fighting the virus by limiting spread and increasing vaccinations, but compared the process to a bumpy locomotive ride, suggesting the frustration with imperfections is universal. She expressed hope that orders from the Biden administration to increase vaccine production and delivery will ease the bottlenecks. The state’s goal, she said, is to deliver 50,000 vaccines per day.
Whitmer urged people to do what they can to continue limiting the spread of the virus while helping restaurants stay afloat by getting carryout orders “two or three times a week.”
Securing grants for restaurants and other place-based businesses remains a critical need, she said, as does getting food — with the help of a $1.2 million infusion of cash to increase SNAP benefits by 15 percent for the next six months — and other support to families hurt by the pandemic.
Whitmer also noted that companies like Pfizer are providing 450 “good jobs” in Portage producing COVID-19 vaccines.
Michigan’s chief medical officer, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, said case rate is now 225 per million — declining steadily over the last 11 days, and the rate of people testing positive for the virus is under 7 percent. Also declining — with welcome relief — the hospitalization rate, now under 10 percent.
Once indoor dining resumes, she said, people should make intentional decisions.
Staying home remains the safest thing to do for the elderly or people with underlying conditions, or those caring for people who are elderly or have underlying conditions, she said.
People dining inside restaurants should patronize those with good ventilation where COVID-19 protocols are being followed.
“We all have our part to play in ending this pandemic,” Khaldun said, adding that people should continue pursuing vaccines, which have been shown to protect against COVID-19 and the new strains of the virus being identified.
The overall goal, she said, is getting 70 percent of Michigan population of 10 million people vaccinated, with vaccines going for people over the age of 16.
Kim Collins, co-founder, owner, and head brewer at Saugatuck-based Guardian Brewing told reporters she’s looking forward to resuming dine-in service. She said her brewery has following COVID-19 protocols and would continue to do so, even if that meant turning away customers who refused to wear masks or follow the other guidelines.
The voluntary MI COVID-19 Safer Dining program allows food service establishments to become certified by having their ventilation system inspected and submitting their inspection report to the state indicating they are optimizing airflow. Once certified, businesses will be featured on the Michigan.gov/covidsaferdining website and receive a copy of their certification to post at their establishment to alert diners of their participation. Funding is proposed for food service establishments to participate as part of the $10 million included in the recent supplemental budget request for restaurant supports administered by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Two webinars are set for Monday, January 25, 2021, on the Safer Dining certification program: At noon HVAC contractors can learn how to conduct inspections safely. At 3:00 p.m. food service operators can learn how to get certified. Details are online at Michigan.gov/covidsaferdining.
Indoor residential and non-residential gatherings are limited to 10 people from two households. MDHHS continues to urge families to avoid indoor gatherings or to pick a single other household to interact with — which meets existing state guidelines. Families are encouraged to stay home as much as possible to maintain momentum and to protect loved ones.
State health officials continue appealing to wear masks routinely and correctly (covering mouth and nose), as well as continue frequent handwashing, social distancing, and staying home when ill.
