Following the K-12 school closures announced Friday to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, today Michigan ordered theaters, bars and casinos to close and limited restaurants to carry-out and delivery orders.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order goes into effect Monday, March 16, at 3 p.m. and will remain in place until Monday, March 30, at 11:59 p.m.
A press release stated the order affects: restaurants, cafes, coffee houses, bars, taverns, brewpubs, distilleries, clubs, movie theaters, indoor and outdoor performance venues, gymnasiums, fitness centers, recreation centers, indoor sports facilities, indoor exercise facilities, exercise studios, spas and casinos.
Businesses are permitted to offer food and beverages using delivery, window, walk-up, drive-through, or drive-up services, though they are encouraged to use precautions to mitigate potential transmission of COVID-19, including social distancing.
Restaurants may allow five people inside at a time to pick up orders, so long as they stay 6 feet apart from each other.
The restrictions do not apply to: office buildings, grocery stores, markets, food pantries, pharmacies, drug stores, and providers of medical equipment and supplies, health care facilities, residential care facilities, congregate care facilities, and juvenile justice facilities, warehouse and distribution centers, and industrial and manufacturing facilities.
“This disease is a challenge unlike any we’ve experienced in our lifetimes,” Whitmer said. “Fighting it will cause significant but temporary changes to our daily lives. By practicing social distancing and taking aggressive action now, the state is working to mitigate the spread of coronavirus so we reduce the risk that our health care system becomes overwhelmed. This is about saving lives. Michiganders are tough and we are going to get through this, but it will require everyone doing their part. That means making smart choices and not putting yourself or others at risk by going out in public unless it is absolutely necessary.”
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is the chief deputy director for health for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and said, “We need to move quickly to slow the spread of the virus and protect public health. I realize these actions will present temporary changes to the way we live, but they are critical to help ensure our health care system is prepared to treat those who need the most urgent medical care.”
Jeff Donofrio, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity said, “We are putting measures in place to help protect the employers, employees, and individuals that will be impacted.”
The number of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, in Michigan has grown to 53 as of Sunday, according to www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. The state reports 389 had qualified for testing; 30 test results were pending. Another 809 individuals had been referred for assessment and monitoring from airport quarantine stations, self-referrals, close contacts of those in pending investigations and health care provider referrals entered by local health departments.
At the governor’s press conference Sunday night, Khaldun said, “We do not need to panic... however, as a community, we do have to take this seriously.”
She announced the creation of the state’s coronavirus hotline, 888-535-6136. It will be available daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those with questions about medical emergencies or their individual health should instead call their doctor.
“If we do not limit or the speed with which new people are infected, there will be serious consequences,” Khaldun said. “The school closures and banning of assemblanges are important and will save lives.”
She said testing at the state lab was proceeding apace, though was maxed out at 115 analyzed per day, admitting results can take as long as 48 to 72 hours for a response.
“We are developing that testing strategy (with local hospitals),” she said. “We continue to request supplies from the federal government to test as many people as possible.”
Whitmer, asked if the three-week school closure would be long enough, said, “It’s too early to tell. What we do know is that to not take the actions we have so far with what we are confronting is irresponsible.”
School districts across the county have begun announcing their strategies to offer carryout food to students, borrowing from the summer lunch programs many have instituted in recent years.
Similarly, many faith-based free-meal programs have also announced the switch to carryout only.
Contact Ryan Lewis at rmlewis@allegannews.com or (269) 673-5534.
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