Going Out To Eat In Michigan? Plan To Provide Your Name, Number

MICHIGAN — If you and your family are planning to out to eat for dinner, be prepared to leave your names and phone numbers with the restaurant.

That measure is due to the latest executive order issued by the state health department and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, which said the steps are to ensure contact tracing can be executed to help prevent potential spread of the coronavirus. That portion of the order takes effect Monday.

As of Saturday, more than 178,000 COVID-19 cases had been reported in Michigan, with health officials saying over 7,300 people in the state have died from the virus.

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However, officials with the Michigan Restaurants & Lodging Association insists COVID-19 transmission doesn’t occur much at restaurants. The group predicts job losses and more financial strife because of the requirement, something the Whitmer administration has been chastised for after issued past executive orders shutting down some businesses since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

“You have guests that feel it’s intruding on their personal liberties and freedoms, and now we’ve got to be the arbitrator of that,” Jeff Lobdell, president of Restaurant Partners Management, which operates 12 eateries in western Michigan, told The Associated Press.

The executive order was issued Thursday and also moved the Traverse City region of Michigan to Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start plan. It also set limits on indoor gatherings in public places.

Read More: Michigan Issues New Restrictions On Gatherings As Cases Surge

Michigan presently has 172 cases per million people and positivity of tests has increased from about 2 percent to 5.5 percent, and both indicators have been increasing for over four weeks, MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said last week.

"The only way to beat COVID is to act on what we've learned since March," Gordon said. "Wear masks. Keep six feet of distance. Wash hands. And avoid the indoor get-togethers where we have seen COVID explode."

Information and reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this report.