Today Governor Whitmer announced that the MDHHS has updated its epidemic order to allow indoor activities where Michiganders can remain masked. The new order is effective Monday, Dec. 21 and will last until Friday, Jan. 15.
- Casinos, bowling centers and movie theatres will be allowed to reopen with total capacity capped at 100; food and drink concessions closed; and social distancing requirements in place.
- Indoor dining in bars and restaurants remains closed, but they can continue to offer outdoor dining, carry-out, and delivery.
- Gyms remain open for individual exercise with strict safety measures in place. Outdoor group fitness and outdoor non-contact sports will again be allowed, including running, downhill and cross-country skiing.
- As before, employees who work in jobs that cannot be performed from home can continue to go to work, while employees who can work from home should continue to do so.
- Colleges and universities will be able to have students return to campus for the winter semester, with a voluntary commitment to wait until Jan. 18 to restart in-person courses.
- Indoor residential gatherings remain limited to 10 people and two households.
Under this new order, reopened indoor entertainment venues will not be required to collect names and contact information. As case counts fall and contact tracing becomes able to keep up with the volume again, MDHHS expects to reinstate this information-gathering requirement.
The Small Business Association of Michigan strongly believes that in order to move forward during this COVID-19 pandemic, it should not be a question of IF small businesses can be open but HOW. SBAM advocates for clear guidance that allows for small businesses to operate in a manner that keeps both employees and members of the public safe. Learn more about our efforts.