On June 1, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer lifted the shelter-in-place order for Michigan due to COVID-19. She is now permitting certain businesses to reopen and operate. They are subject to specific workplace safety requirements and a specific timetable. Some business must remain closed at this time. Any work that is capable of being performed remotely must be performed remotely. Michigan will no longer be among the small group of states that had the country’s strictest restrictions and stay-home orders.
Retailers will be allowed to resume operation on 6/4/2020. Restaurants will be allowed to resume operation on 6/4/2020. Restaurants and bars may fully reopen on 6/8/2020. Swimming pools and day camps for kids will also be permitted to reopen on the 6/8/2020. Unless otherwise prohibited by local regulation, libraries and museums may also open as of June 8th, subject to the rules governing retail stores.
Those businesses and activities will be subject to safety guidance to mitigate the risk of infection. Other businesses and activities that necessarily involve close contact and shared surfaces, including gyms, hair salons, indoor theaters, tattoo parlors, casinos, and similar establishments, will remain closed for the time being.
Any individual who leaves his or her home or place of residence must:
- Follow social distancing measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), including remaining at least six feet from people from outside the individual’s household to the extent feasible under the circumstances; and
- Wear a face covering over his or her nose and mouth—such as a homemade mask, scarf, bandana, or handkerchief—when in any enclosed public space, unless the individual is unable medically to tolerate a face covering.
An individual may be required to temporarily remove a face covering upon entering an enclosed public space for identification purposes. An individual may also remove a face covering to eat or drink when seated at a restaurant or bar. Businesses and building owners, and those authorized to act on their behalf, are permitted to deny entry or access to any individual who refuses to comply with the rules. Indoor social gatherings and events among persons not part of a single household are permitted, but may not exceed 10 people.
Outdoor social gatherings and events among persons not part of a single household are permitted, but only to the extent that:
- The gathering or event does not exceed 100 people, and
- People not part of the same household maintain six feet of distance from one another.
Unless otherwise prohibited by local regulation, outdoor parks and recreational facilities may be open, provided that they make any reasonable modifications necessary to enable employees and patrons not part of the same household to maintain six feet of distance from one another, and provided that areas in which social distancing cannot be maintained be closed, subject to guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. A willful violation of the Governor’s order is a misdemeanor.