Michigan is tightening its restrictions on gatherings and moving the Traverse City region back in line with the rest of the state in Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan as coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to increase.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced an extension -- and strengthening -- of its previous emergency order aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19. The order includes new provisions that target social gatherings where the virus has spread most rapidly.
Effective immediately, the new order reduces the maximum capacity on indoor gatherings without fixed seating from 500 people to 50 people. That includes weddings, parties, banquets, conferences and funerals.
Restaurants, bars and other venues must limit seating to no more than six people per table, and all dine-in establishments must keep customers' names and phone numbers for contact tracing purposes beginning Monday, Nov. 2.
The Traverse City region’s move from Phase 5 of the six-phase MI Safe Start Plan aligns the northern region with the rest of the state. It also means the region’s schools must require students to wear masks.
“The orders that MDHHS has issued are centered on keeping the public safe and following best practices to reduce the spread of this deadly virus,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive. “The alarming surge we are now seeing is exactly why we were so worried about the fall season. We must remain vigilant, so we prevent long-term health consequences and unnecessary deaths, and protect our hospital capacity and the health of our frontline health workers.”
In the midst of another coronavirus surge, Khaldun said Michigan is at a critical time in the pandemic. The new order comes as the state is averaging 2,365 new COVID-19 cases and 24 new deaths per day.
Hospitalizations are up to 1,577 patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, compared to 647 a month ago. Michigan’s average daily positive test rate was up to 5.5% last week. The rate has climbed over the last four weeks and health officials said it indicated ongoing general community spread of the virus.
“The only way to beat COVID is to act on what we’ve learned since March,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “Wear masks. Keep six feet of distance. Wash hands. And avoid the indoor get-togethers where we have seen COVID explode.”
Thursday’s emergency order focuses primarily on social gatherings, which account for 34 of the new and ongoing clusters reported by the state on Monday. For each of the new restrictions, MDHHS Director Robert Gordon referenced three or more states with similar rules in place.
Much like the previous health order issued by the state health department earlier this month, masks must be worn over the nose and mouth in gatherings of two or more people. That includes in stores, offices, schools and events. Businesses cannot admit people without masks, with few exceptions.
Masks are required for people participating in organized sports, except for swimming or sports in which participants can maintain 6 feet of distance.
Residential gatherings are allowed up to 10 people, while outdoor gatherings can have up to 100 people. Face masks are “strongly recommended” when individuals outside the same household are together.
For indoor, non-residential venues, there can be no more than 500 people gathered where there is fixed seating. Attendance is also limited to 30% of seating capacity of the venue.
Without fixed seating, no more than 50 people are allowed and attendance is limited to 20 people per 1,000 square feet in each occupied room. All attendees must wear a face mask.
The order is in effect “until rescinded." Violations of the health department’s order can result in a civil fine of up to $1,000 or a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, according to Gordon. But he said the state’s “strong preference is education and voluntary compliance.”
Exceptions for mask requirements include children younger than 5, those who cannot medically tolerate a mask, individuals eating or drinking while seated at a food service establishment, and those engaging in a religious service.
Gathering restrictions do not apply to:
- Incidental, temporary gatherings of persons in a shared space, such as frequently occur in an airport, bus station, factory floor, food service establishment, shopping mall, public pool, or workplace.
- Voting or election-related activities at polling places;
- Training of law enforcement, correctional, medical, or first responder personnel, insofar as those activities cannot be conducted remotely;
- Students in a classroom setting;
- Children in a daycare setting; or
- Persons traveling on a school bus or other public transit.
Asked why his department hasn’t considered an ordered quarantine or stay-home period like Michigan experienced in the spring, Gordon said he believes robust compliance to the current orders and guidance will bring the cases down.
“We’re taking targeted actions via the order to address areas that are particularly severe sources of spread and issuing guidance that’s a very clear road map of what we need to do,” he said. “If all Michiganders can honor that guidance, we can bring cases down.”
Michigan has seen its new cases per day rise over the last six weeks. Last week, the health department reported 172 new cases per million people per day, according to Khaldun. Regionally:
- The Upper Peninsula reported 428 cases per million people per day and a positive test rate of 7.9%;
- The Kalamazoo region reported 266 new cases per million people per day and a positive rate of 7.4%;
- The Grand Rapids region reported 208 new cases per million people per day and a positive test rate of 6.3%;
- The Traverse City, Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw and Jackson regions reported 122-162 new cases per million people per day and positive test rates between 3.4% and 5.3%.
In response to the new restrictions on bars and restaurants, Scott Ellis, executive director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association Executive, said mandatory contact tracing put an “unnecessary burden on servers and staff who already have to deal with trouble customers who refuse to wear mask."
Ellis also noted that the health department only reported two COVID-19 outbreaks related to bars over the last two weeks, and that there were no ongoing clusters being monitored before then.
“Another day, another bar and restaurant regulation that looks good on paper," he said. "Why do they continue to pick on bars and restaurants when their own data continues to show that we are not a problem industry?
“Our great Michigan bars and restaurants have been doing everything they possibly can to ensure their businesses are clean and safe for patrons. While cases throughout the state are rising, bars and restaurants are keeping outbreaks at almost non-existent levels. If contact tracing is important, we should be doing it everywhere, not just in certain businesses to paint a bad picture.”
The MDHHS order is available in full on the state website, here.
Read more on MLive:
Catholic school sues Michigan to drop its ‘unreasonable’ mask mandate in schools
Scientists say side effects of COVID-19 infection could set the stage for Parkinson’s disease