Michigan Lifts Mask Requirement For Fully Vaccinated Residents

LANSING, MI — Michiganders fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can ditch the mask, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announcing on Friday that the state was updating its mask mandate to align with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidance on face coverings.

The CDC on Thursday eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. Michigan's updated order will take effect at 9 a.m. Saturday.

“For more than a year, we’ve been following the best data and science to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” Whitmer said in a statement Friday. “The vast majority of us have trusted the scientists and experts to keep us safe during the pandemic, and it has worked. With millions of Michiganders fully vaccinated, we can now safely and confidently take the next step to get back to normal.

"The message is clear: vaccines work to protect you and your loved ones. If you have not yet received your vaccine, now is the time to sign up. This pandemic has been one of the toughest challenges of our lifetimes, but we came together as a state to persevere. We have all been working incredibly hard toward getting back to some sense of normalcy, and today's news makes all of that work worthwhile.”

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Under the updated MDHHS Gatherings and Mask Order, Michiganders who are outside will no longer need to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Fully vaccinated Michiganders will no longer need to wear a mask inside, but residents who are not vaccinated, or have not completed their vaccinations, must continue to wear a mask or face covering to protect themselves and others, according to the updated order.

After July 1, the broad indoor mask mandate will expire, according to the order. The order was previously set to expire once 70 percent of eligible Michiganders had been vaccinated against the virus.

Michigan has administered 7,875,785 vaccines to date. According to CDC data, 55.6 percent of Michiganders ages 16 and older have received at least one dose, with more than 43 percent of Michiganders ages 16 and older being fully vaccinated.