Michigan To Resume Indoor Dining Feb. 1 With Some Restrictions

LANSING, MI — Indoor dining will resume in Michigan beginning Feb. 1 with certain requirements, state officials said Friday during a news conference.

In addition to the resumption of indoor dining across Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, concessions at casinos, movie theaters and stadiums also will be able to resume under an executive order issued Friday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Personal services that require mask removal, and non-residential gatherings of up to 10 people from two households, also will be allowed to resume Feb. 1, according to the executive order. The order will last three weeks, ending Feb. 21.

"I have spoken with a number of restaurant owners over the course of these months, and I know that it has not been easy," Whitmer said Friday. "I want you to know that I will continue to do everything in my power to support you and your families."

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Restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity with up to 100 people, according to the executive order. Tables must be 6 feet apart with no more than six people per table. Outdoor tents with four sides are permitted under these same rules, officials said. Bars and restaurants must close by 10 p.m. Contact information must be collected from customers for contact tracing purposes, as well.

Justin Winslow, the president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, said he welcomes the governor's decision to allow restaurants to reopen indoor dining on Feb. 1, but called it "overdue."

"It is now time for this administration to move aggressively towards a more comprehensive reintegration strategy, which includes prioritizing vaccination for the broader hospitality industry and establishing clear metrics for phased reopening to 100 percent capacity of indoor dining," Winslow said. "The hospitality industry and its sizable workforce has suffered far worse than its peers from this pandemic, losing nearly 3,000 restaurants and employing 200,000 fewer workers than a year prior. It also stands to gain the most from a proficient and expedited vaccination schedule, which is why we contend that there is no more important step the governor can take to get Michigan’s economy back on track than restoring public confidence in Michiganders ability to safely dine and travel.”

Related: Indoor Dining In Michigan Can Resume Feb. 1, Gov. Whitmer Says

Whitmer first announced the restrictions — which included a ban on indoor dining at Michigan eateries, restricted indoor social gatherings and other group activities — Nov. 15 after the state saw a significant uptick in new cases and deaths stemming from the coronavirus.

The order took effect on Nov. 18 but was extended several times before the governor announced on Jan. 13 that she was aiming at allowing restaurants to reopen to indoor service on Feb. 1.

The state said it has been monitoring three metrics — hospital capacity, overall case rates and positivity rates. Officials said Friday that Michigan hospital capacity dedicated to COVID-19 patients has been in seven-week decline, with current capacity at 9.9 percent for beds with COVID-19 patients. In terms of overall case rates, Michigan is currently at 225 cases per million. The state's positivity rate is at 6.8 percent and declining, officials said.

The state on Thursday surpassed 14,000 deaths attributed to the coronavirus, reporting 148 more COVID-19 deaths. Michigan also reported 2,165 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Michigan to 544,311. More than 442,000 people in Michigan have recovered from the coronavirus, state health officials reported on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the state is beginning to deal with a new variant of the coronavirus that has been confirmed in at least three people in southeast Michigan. The state reported two more cases of the new variant, known as B.1.1.7, Thursday night.

Both instances were confirmed in women who had close contact with another woman who had contracted the variant and tested positive for it after traveling to the United Kingdom, where the variant originated.

"While we are slowly able to open up more parts of the economy, I do want people to be careful and understand their risk," health department Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said Friday. "I do want people to be careful and understand their risk."