LANSING, MI (WTHC-AM/FM) – State of Michigan officials have published a list of frequently asked questions about what businesses should stay open and which should not. Here are some questions and answers, posted on the state’s website and shared here:
Q: Are people who repair homes considered critical infrastructure employees for the purposes of Executive Order 2020-21?
In general, yes. Under the order, critical infrastructure workers include workers “who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.” To the extent your workers perform jobs that are necessary to the safety, sanitation, and operation of homes, they may be designated as critical infrastructure workers.
Q: Are hotels and motels to remain open Executive Order 2020-21?
A: In general, hotels and motels may remain open, but must limit functions and operations.
Under the order, workers at hotels and motels are critical infrastructure workers to the extent they “provide temporary or permanent housing for… shelter … for … otherwise needy individuals.” For purposes of the order, the term “otherwise needy individuals” includes anyone residing in a hotel or motel at the time the order was issued or anyone seeking shelter during the current pandemic. Hotels and motels may also remain open to the extent they are used for COVID-19 mitigation and containment efforts and to serve critical infrastructure workers.
Hotels and motels may therefore remain open, but they may only engage in activities providing shelter and basic needs (such as carry-out/delivery/room-service food) and, in engaging in those activities, they must limit guest-to-guest, guest-to-staff, and staff-to-staff interactions as much as possible and must adopt all other mitigation measures required by section 5(c) of the order. They may not provide additional in-house amenities such as gyms, pools, spas, entertainment faculties, meetings rooms or like facilities, or provide in-house dining.
Q: Under the Stay Home, Stay Safe EO, can school districts continue to provide food service for students?
A: Gov. Whitmer is committed to ensuring that Michigan students have access to the food they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the governor’s executive order, K-12 school food services are considered critical infrastructure and should continue.
Q: Are real estate agents, brokers, and real estate service employees considered critical infrastructure workers under 2020-21?
A: These workers do not constitute “critical infrastructure workers” and thus may not leave their homes for work unless, under section 9(d) of the order, they are “provid[ing] food, shelter, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals, individuals who need assistance as a result of this emergency, and people with disabilities.” This is a tightly circumscribed category that captures only work that must be carried out in person and is absolutely necessary to assist those with a genuine and emergent need, such as an immediate lack of shelter. All work must be carried out remotely to the greatest extent possible.
Q: Do I need to carry credentials or any paperwork that indicates I’ve been designated a critical infrastructure employee or to travel to and from my home or residence?
A: No, there is not a requirement under Executive Order 2020-21 to carry credentials or paperwork with you under any circumstance.
Q: Are laundromat / coin laundry employees considered critical infrastructure employees for the purposes of Executive Order 2020-21?
A: Yes, these employees constitute critical infrastructure workers in the sector of public works and they are allowed to leave their home for work as needed. Like all critical infrastructure workers, their in-person work must be carried out consistently with the mitigation measures required by section 5 of the order.
Q: Are workers in RV sales, manufacturing, and distribution critical infrastructure employees?
A: No, workers who manufacture, sell and distribute RVs are not critical infrastructure workers under the Executive Order.
Q: Is construction allowed under the executive order?
A: Some limited forms of construction are permissible, including construction to maintain and improve roads, bridges, telecommunications infrastructure, and public health infrastructure. Construction workers may also undertake projects that are necessary to maintain and improve the safety, sanitation, and essential operations of a residence. Cosmetic and non-emergency maintenance and improvements to residences are not permissible under this order. In addition, a business may designate a construction firm to provide necessary support to its critical infrastructure workers. All construction work that is carried out while the order is in effect must be done in accordance with the mitigation measures required under section 5(c) of the order.
Q: May landscaping, lawncare, tree service, irrigation, and related outdoor maintenance companies operate under this order?
A: No, except if the service is necessary to maintain and improve the safety, sanitation, and essential operations of a residence. Therefore, cosmetic and non-emergency maintenance and improvements to the outdoor areas of residences and businesses are not permissible under this order. Any necessary landscaping work that is carried out while the order is in effect must be done in accordance with the mitigation measures required under section 5(c) of the order.
Q: Can hardware stores remain open?
A: Yes. Hardware stores may remain open to supply goods necessary for construction of public infrastructure, projects that are necessary to maintain and improve the safety, sanitation, and essential operations of a residence, and projects that support critical infrastructure workers in businesses. Hardware stores that are open while the order is in effect must implement social distancing practices and other mitigation measures in accordance with section 5(c) of the order.
Q: Are golf courses allowed to stay open?
A: No. While EO 2020-21 contemplates outdoor activity, opening a golf course to the public does not fall under the designation of critical infrastructure. Consequently, a golf course may not designate employees as critical infrastructure employees and authorize them come to work.
Q: Are tobacco shops, cigar bars, vape shops, and hookah lounges able to stay open under EO 2020-21?
A: No. These businesses are not considered critical infrastructure.
Q: May members of the media continue to have access to the station to relay news?
A: Yes. Employees responsible for disseminating news are covered in the exception in section 7 of the Executive Order 2020-21 since they are “critical infrastructure workers” as indicated in section 8(h).
