LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer is lifting some of the restrictions for certain businesses and allowing several low-risk workplaces to re-open.
On Friday, May 1, the governor signed an executive order as part of her “MI Safe Start” plan to allow construction, real-estate activities, and work that is traditionally and primarily performed outdoors to resume on May 7.
The order also allows manufacturing facilities that help businesses institute safety measures by creating products like cubicles and partitions to re-open to help those workers remain healthy.
Under the order, construction sites must adopt a set of best practices to protect their workers from COVID-19.
Those practices include:
- Designating a site supervisor to enforce COVID-19 control strategies.
- Conducting daily health screenings for workers.
- Creating dedicated entry points, if possible, or issuing stickers or other indicators to assure that all workers are screened every day.
- Identifying choke points and high-risk areas (like hallways, hoists and elevators, break areas, water stations, and buses) and controlling them to enable social distancing.
- Ensuring sufficient hand-washing or hand-sanitizing stations at the worksite.
In a written statement Governor Whitmer said, “The vast majority of Michiganders are still doing their part to protect themselves and their families from COVID-19. That’s good, but we must keep it up. As part of our MI Safe Start Plan, we are bringing business and labor leaders together to ensure that while we lift some restrictions on the previous Stay Home, Stay Safe order, we are also protecting workers and their families from the spread of this virus. I want to be clear: we must all continue to stay home and stay safe as much as possible. If we all keep doing our part, we can reduce the risk of a second wave and re-engage our economy safely and responsibly.”
The “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order remains in effect until May 15 and it is still required for people to wear homemade face coverings when they enter enclosed public spaces.
The governor’s latest ruling has sparked backlash from some Michiganders, prompting a protest at the Capitol on Thursday. During her press briefing on Friday, Governor Whitmer described the actions taken by the Legislature as “political gamesmanship without substance.”
On Thursday, April 30, the governor also signed an executive order lengthening the state of emergency, state of disaster, and extending the closure of public spaces such as theaters, bars and casinos, until May 28 while also limiting restaurants to only carry-out and delivery orders. According to WOOD-TV, this also includes salons, gyms, libraries, and museums.
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For statewide information, go to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website at michigan.gov/coronavirus.
