Whitmer looks to remove COVID-19 restrictions 'in the coming days'
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer addresses reporters during a press conference to sign an executive order to end conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people of Michigan, while at Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park, on Monday, June 14, 2021. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
Taylor DesOrmeau | tdesorme@mlive.com
Michigan's COVID-19 health order could end sooner than expected, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has hinted at an announcement soon due to declining coronavirus rates and increasing vaccination numbers.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services order expires July 1, but the state could choose to end it early.
The remaining restrictions include a 50% capacity limit at most indoor public spaces and a mask mandate indoors for unvaccinated people, among other precautions.
"Thanks to this rollout and to all the Michiganders who've gotten their shot, we're looking forward at the next rollback in the coming days," Whitmer said during an appearance in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, June 16. "It's scheduled for July 1, but I think you should stay tuned."
Business leaders told MLive they expect an announcement Thursday or Friday.
Michigan is one of the last states to still have restrictions in place, according to data tracked by the New York Times. New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii also have some restrictions still in place.
Thirteen states, including Michigan, are still requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks inside public places – most of which are in the Northeast or the Pacific coast.
COVID-19 cases have dropped dramatically in Michigan in the past two months. It led the nation in cases per day April 15 with 79 per 100,000 people, but now ranks 31st in the U.S. with three new cases per day per 100,000 people.
Michigan ranks 27th in the country in vaccination rate, with 61% of residents 18 or older getting at least one shot.
Whitmer may have been holding off on changes to see if the Memorial Day holiday would cause a spike in numbers, said, Dr. Frank Rosenblat, Oakland County infectious disease specialist with McLaren Health Care.
But the trendline of plummeting numbers has stayed the same.
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"So whatever happened on – or didn't happen – after Memorial Day, I just wonder if that's leading to these decisions that we might be able to get out of this earlier than we thought," Rosenblat said. "Because we had our stress test on Memorial Day and we seem to have passed it so far."
Impact of the capacity limits
The 50% capacity restriction has been "frustrating" for businesses, especially those near state lines, said Michigan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rich Studley.
"We're the only state in the country that still has this level of COVID restrictions," Studley said. "It's unnecessary."
While restaurants – among other places – will be allowed to double their capacity, that's not feasible for many places struggling to find workers.
"They're still going to have the challenge with employees, but they'll adjust for that," said Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan. "We do need to get back as soon as we can to full capacity."
Getting to 100% will be particularly helpful for the events industry, Lorenz said. Many larger events like conventions, business meetings and weddings aren't feasible at half capacity, he said.
Michigan has had some form of COVID-19 health restrictions in place since mid-March 2020.
There will still be some COVID-19 rules in place, even after the MDHHS rules are gone, however. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has pandemic workplace safety rules in place through October. MIOSHA could choose to end such restrictions earlier.
MLive reporter Julie Mack contributed to this story.
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