Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and MDHHS Director Robert Gordon announced Monday they are extending the partial shutdown of the state until Dec. 20.
Related: Read the full Michigan epidemic order extending partial shutdown until Dec. 20
The original pandemic order that was a "three-week pause" and shut down indoor dining service, in-person classes at high schools, movie theatres and more was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
Related: Here are the COVID-19 metrics Michigan officials will monitor before safely reopening
"We've made progress in this three week pause, but there is more work we need to do to protect one another," Whitmer said Monday.
The 12-day extension will then be evaluated by the state to see where we are at when it comes to a variety of factors.
Related: Gov. Whitmer: 'I am discouraging people from gathering for Christmas'
"We won't lift all our protocols at once, we will do it in a measured way," she said.
Until Dec. 20, indoor gatherings will be restricted to no more than 10 people from no more than two households. Outdoor gatherings are permitted to 25 or less people from 3 or less households, and 25 or less people at a venue without fixed seating.
On top of that, gatherings are prohibited indoors at movie theatres, sporting venues, theatres, arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, casinos and more. Indoor dining will remain closed.
Gordon said there are three key metrics for the state to follow for a safe restart.
Those are:
- Share of hospital beds with COVID-19 patients - Flat or declining trend
- COVID-19 case rates - Declining trend
- Percent positivity - Declining trend
Two measures that aren't official metrics for reopening but still matter are mobility and deaths, according to Gordon.
Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox released this statement after the announcement:
“Michigan businesses and families cannot withstand another shutdown, and I am calling on Governor Whitmer to reverse course and allow Michiganders the freedom to work, go to school, and be with their families during this holiday season. Instead of asking for $400 million dollars in aid, Whitmer should be removing the restrictions she imposed, that are causing the need for aid in the first place.”
Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association President and CEO Justin Winslow released this statement:
“We aren’t surprised by the governor’s decision to extend Director Gordon’s MDHHS Order today, but we remain exceptionally disappointed. We firmly believe there is a better approach – one followed by 45 other states – that doesn’t use blunt force closure of a single industry to resolve a shared crisis. We maintain that a more nuanced approach that allows for limited indoor capacity with a curfew will result in greater compliance, better health outcomes and substantially reduced economic fallout.
Upon completion of this most recent Order, restaurant dining rooms will have been closed for 118 days, nearly one-third of the calendar year. We already know the impact of another extended shutdown will be significant, as the industry lost over $8 billion in sales and laid off more than 75 percent of its workforce when it was shuttered for an extended period in the spring.
The restaurant industry is comprised of creative and resilient individuals, but for a growing number of them, this latest pause is the cause of their lost livelihood and well-being.”
