Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to announce an extension of Michigan’s partial closure at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, according to several Michigan business leaders.
Michigan’s most recent closure expires at 11:59 pm on Friday, January 15, and includes a ban on in-person dining inside restaurants. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 application began on November 18 and has been extended several times.
The covered restaurant’s reopening may be scheduled for February 1, according to the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, which is in talks with the governor’s office.
Restaurants and bars may be subject to an evening curfew – similar to the 10 pm Ohio curfew – to limit exposure, according to the MLBA.
Capacity limits are also likely when restaurants can reopen, and companies that take additional health measures may have a greater capacity for people inside, according to the MLBA.
“Although we are disappointed at the idea of being closed for another two weeks, finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel is certainly reassuring,” said the MLBA in a Facebook post.
The Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association is giving a final push in the hope of convincing Michigan leaders to reopen indoor seats sooner. The MRLA launched a tool on its website on Tuesday that allows people to send a pre-written message to the governor and MDHHS director Robert Gordon.
In the early hours, 2,000 people used it, asking state leaders to reopen restaurants.
“Please reopen the indoor dinner after the current order expires on January 15 – subsistence depends on it,” says the pre-written message, plus details on how Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers have improved.
The MRLA expects state leaders to decide not to extend the ban, but MRLA president and CEO Justin Winslow is not sure what will happen.
“Communication with the government seems to have stopped being useful or productive,” said Winslow. “Usually, when this administration is in real silence with everyone, you tend to know where this is going.”
MLive contacted the governor’s office for comment.
Michigan leaders said they are looking at three numbers when considering health claims: cases, hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests.
All three have declined since the order began on November 18. But state leaders have not publicly released the goals that determine what numbers need to be reached for the reopening to happen. State leaders have also said in recent days that they are concerned about the new variant of COVID-19 that has arrived in the U.S.
See how these top three metrics have changed in the past few weeks.
Average of 7 days of new cases per day
- November 18: 6,932
- December 17: 4,234
- January 12: 3,029
COVID-19 Hospitalizations
- November 18: 3,792
- December 17: 3,547
- January 12: 2,415
Percent positivity
- November 18: 13.45%
- December 17: 9.6%
- January 12: 7.16%
Other states, like Washington and Illinois, have made it clear where the numbers are for restaurants to reopen or move to a higher capacity limit, Winslow said.
“I’m sure restaurant owners are equally frustrated in these two states,” said Winslow. “But at least they have the ability to make decisions because they can see data, they can see trends and know what is coming. It doesn’t exist here in Michigan. “
Business owners have been left in limbo, Winslow said, calling it “surprisingly offensive”.
There have been far fewer outbreaks in restaurants since the ban on dining began, according to state data. At the start of the “break,” there were 65 outbreaks of active COVID-19 in Michigan, linked to restaurants and bars. Now there are 10.
“The number is not zero as to what is the potential risk of dining out at a restaurant,” said Winslow. “But there is simply no clear cause for each other.”
A third of Michigan’s hospitality workers were unemployed in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry was “cruelly” left out in Michigan, Winslow said.
He also advocates that Michigan move hospitality workers in the vaccination queue, as other states have done. According to current estimates, these officials will not be able to receive the vaccine until the end of May, said Winslow.
“If you intend to keep them closed for security reasons and genuinely believe that the threat is legitimate to keep an industry closed for 143 days (and counting), you should prioritize that,” said Winslow.
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