KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Governor Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order issued this week is meant to have most civilians stay at home to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
However, there are exceptions. Citizens are permitted to return to work if their job falls under what is considered “essential,” or “critical” in the language of the order.
Those employees, such as first responders, will still be able to travel to work. In addition, workers that provide essential services like grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations will also still report to work.
Citizens are directed to stay in their homes unless they’re part of that critical infrastructure workforce, engaged in an outdoor activity while still social distancing, or performing tasks necessary to the health and safety of themselves or their family.
Whitmer’s order, officially known as “Executive Order No. 2020-21,” went into effect on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. It incorporates recommendations for what is considered “essential” based on the guidance of the Department of Homeland Security.
A full copy of those recommendations can be viewed here.
The following list details sectors that are deemed essential by the Michigan government, and each of the included examples come from the guidance of U.S. officials.
- Health care and public health – Workers providing COVID-19 testing; Workers that perform critical clinical research needed for COVID-19 response; caregivers.
- Law enforcement, public safety, and first responders – Personnel in emergency management, law enforcement, Emergency Management Systems, fire, and corrections, including front line and management; 911 call center employees; Hazardous material responders.
- Food and agriculture – Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail that sells food and beverage products; Restaurant carry-out and quick serve food operations – Carry-out and delivery food employees; Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees.
- Energy – Workers who maintain, ensure, or restore the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power; Retail fuel centers such as gas stations and truck stops, and the distribution systems that support them.
- Water and wastewater – Employees needed to operate and maintain drinking water and wastewater/drainage infrastructure, including operational staff at water authorities, community water systems and wastewater treatment facilities.
- Transportation and logistics – Automotive repair and maintenance facilities, Air transportation employees, and postal and shipping workers.
- Public works – Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.
- Communications and information technology, including news media – Workers who support radio, television, and media service, including, but not limited to front line news reporters, studio, and technicians for newsgathering and reporting; Maintenance of communications infrastructure.
- Other community-based government operations and essential functions – Workers to ensure continuity of building functions; Security staff to maintain building access control and physical security measures; Elections personnel.
- Critical manufacturing – Workers necessary for the manufacturing of materials and products needed for medical supply chains, transportation, energy, communications, food and agriculture, chemical manufacturing, nuclear facilities, the operation of dams, water and wastewater treatment, emergency services, and the defense industrial base.
- Hazardous materials – Workers at nuclear facilities, workers managing medical waste, workers managing waste from pharmaceuticals and medical material production, and workers at laboratories processing test kits.
- Financial services – Workers who are needed to process and maintain systems for processing financial transactions and services; to provide consumer access to banking and lending services; Workers who support financial operations, such as those staffing data and security operations centers.
- Chemical supply chains and safety – Workers supporting the chemical and industrial gas supply chains, including workers at chemical manufacturing plants, workers in laboratories, workers at distribution facilities, workers who transport basic raw chemical materials to the producers of industrial and consumer goods, including hand sanitizers, food and food additives, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and paper products.
- Defense industrial base – Workers who support the essential services required to meet national security commitments to the federal government and U.S. Military; Personnel working for companies, and their subcontractors, who perform under contract to the Department of Defense.
Readers should note that each sector written only has a few examples from the Department of Homeland Security guidelines. Each category can include more than what is listed.
Attempting to clarify what qualifies as “essential,” attorney Ethan Beswick of Varnum Law spoke with WKZO.
“As you can imagine, we’ve been fielding calls and emails over the last 24 hours as to what exactly fits within those categories,” Beswick said. “With something like this that comes online so quickly, there’s going to be some gray areas. We’re doing our best to assist our clients and those that are in need in determining whether or not their business is deemed essential, and to what extent its operations are essential.”
Different guidelines can also be established within different businesses.
“Even within businesses, we’re finding certain lines or operations are to be deemed essential, and many others are not,” Beswick said.
Essentially, most businesses are going to have to decide which of their workers are necessary for operation or not. Beswick recommends visiting the State of Michigan Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about these new developments and regulations.
Meanwhile, Varnum Law is available to field questions of businesses for more information on how to proceed under the new order.
“We’re happy to provide council to clients that need that information,” Beswick said. “The first step is looking to the Executive Order and DHS guidance, and then also any designations they may be receiving from those that they’re doing business with.”
Regardless of whether a person is able to return to work, all civilians should be practicing good hygiene and proper social distancing to avoid COVID-19 infection.
The most up-to-date information about the COVID-19 outbreak can be found at https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/ and the CDC website.
Information specific to Kalamazoo County can be found online at the County website.
