Indoor dining to reopen in Michigan on February 1st

(LANSING, Mich.) Michigan restaurants and bars will be able to start serving people inside again on February 1st. The announcement was made at a Friday press conference with Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). However, there will be some restrictions on restaurants and bars under the MDHHS epidemic order that were not in place before they were forced to stop indoor service in November. The reopening guidelines only allow these establishments to serve 25% of their capacity inside and they will have to close by 10 p.m. Movie theaters and casinos can also start serving concessions again. "The pause has worked," said Governor Whitmer. "The efforts we have made together to protect our families, frontline workers and hospitals have dramatically reduced cases and we have saved lives." The positivity rate for COVID-19 cases in Michigan is currently at 6.8 percent and continuing to go down. Justin Winslow, the President and CEO for the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) reacted to Friday's announcement. "We welcome the governor’s decision to reopen restaurant dining on February 1 as good, if overdue news," said Winslow. "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 also said that around 3,000 restaurants have closed since the start of the pandemic.