<div class="RichTextArticleBody"> <div class="RichTextArticleBody-body"><p>Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order protecting workers who stay home when they or their close contacts are sick.</p><p>All employers are prohibited from discharging, disciplining or otherwise retaliating against an employee for staying home from work if they or one of their close contacts tests positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms.</p><p>The order takes effect immediately and will remain in place until the end of the governor's declared emergency.</p><p>“People who are prioritizing the health and safety of their families, neighbors, and loved ones during this crisis should not be punished by their workplace. Staying home and staying safe is one of the most important things we can do to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, and this executive order will ensure more people can do so without facing discrimination from their workplace,” Whitmer said. “We have taken aggressive measures to protect our communities, but it’s on all of us to work together to fight this virus.”</p><p>Health-care professionals, workers at a health-care facility, first responders (e.g., police officers, fire fighters, paramedics), child protective service employees, workers at child caring institutions and correctional officers are exempt from staying at home if a member of their household tests positive for COVID-19 or displays one or more of the principal symptoms provided that their employers’ rules governing occupational health allow them to go to work.</p><p> Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
Find out how you can help businesses and restaurants struggling during the pandemic.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
