Michigan Eases Restaurant Coronavirus Rules Friday: What To Know

LANSING, MI — Restaurants and bars across Michigan will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity beginning Friday, as state officials on Tuesday announced Michigan was relaxing a series of coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months amid the pandemic.

Under a new order announced during a Tuesday news conference by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and set to take effect Friday, Michigan restaurants and bars will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity, up from 25 percent capacity.

"As we carefully track variants and continue leading with science and data, we'll also enable more people to go back to work," Whitmer said at a news conference. "I'm proud that we are able to take this positive step without compromising public health."

Don't miss important updates from health and government officials on the impact of the coronavirus in Michigan. Sign up for Patch's daily newsletters and email alerts.

What to know about the new orders

The state actually signed updates to two epidemic orders Tuesday, one allowing for increased capacity limits at some venues and the second allowing visitations at nursing homes.

The changes go into effect Friday and remain in place until April 19, as the state continues to monitor trends.

Capacity changes include:

• Restaurants and bars are allowed to be at 50 percent capacity up to 100 people. Tables must be six feet apart with no more than six people per table. There is now an 11 p.m. curfew.
• Indoor non-residential gatherings where people interact across households are permitted up to 25 people, allowing public meetings and other small indoor gatherings to resume.
• Outdoor non-residential gatherings where people interact across households are permitted up to 300, allowing larger outdoor events to resume.
• Indoor entertainment venues are allowed to be at 50 percent capacity, up to 300 people.
• Exercise facilities are allowed to be at 30 percent capacity with restrictions on distancing and mask requirements.
• Retail is allowed to be at 50 percent capacity.
• Casinos are allowed to be at 30 percent capacity.
• Indoor stadiums and arenas are allowed have 375 if seating capacity is under 10,000; 750 if seating capacity is over 10,000.
• Outdoor entertainment and recreational facilities may host up to 1,000 patrons.

Statewide Trend In New Cases

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said Michigan is seeing a plateau in its new case rates, noting that the Saginaw and Traverse City regions have seen a small amount of growth in case rates.

She also said the state has confirmed 422 cases of the faster-spreading coronavirus variant from the U.K., the majority of which have stemmed from an outbreak inside a Michigan prison.

"We are at a critical time in our fight against this pandemic," she said. "Our case rates have dropped significantly since the fall surge, but they are still higher than they were last summer and they are no longer dropping."

In all, 589,150 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Michigan. The death toll in the state stands at 15,534. As of Friday, 541,258 people in Michigan have recovered from the coronavirus.