LANSING, MI — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is revising and extending its epidemic order to try slowing the spread of COVID-19.
All indoor gatherings are now maxed at 50 people, down from 500. Mid-Michigan restaurants and bars will be required to get the names and phone numbers for everyone eating inside starting November 2nd, and no indoor waiting for a table is allowed.
The Michigan Association of Restaurant & Lodging Association said of the new restrictions Thursday in a press release:
“We appreciate and respect the efforts of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to keep all Michiganders safe as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Michigan. We maintain, however, that a restaurant industry-specific contact tracing mandate lacks merit given existing science and data.
The COVID-19 outbreak investigation data collected by the MDHHS continues to show minimal transmission from restaurant dining, despite the rising caseloads, representing only about 2% of all cases the state is investigating. In relation to the size and scope of the industry, which serves millions of people every day and employs several hundred thousand more, this well-intended effort is more likely to result in job loss, foreclosure and fewer restaurants than it will prevent transmission.
Restaurants across this state have risen to the challenge thrust upon them in 2020, providing a place for people to safely gather, eat a great meal and feel, well, human. We remain confident that if given the opportunity, restaurants will continue to offer this experience in a safer environment than alternatives that are less regulated and less sanitized,” the association said in the press statement.
Michigan’s new daily record for COVID-19 infections is now three-thousand-675 after Thursday’s tally. Additionally, the positivity rate for test results yesterday was eight-point-six- percent, much higher than the five-point-five-percent of a week ago. Forty-one deaths were reported yesterday.
Comments