State lifts mask requirement for fully vaccinated people

(LANSING, Mich.) On Saturday May 15, at 9:00 a.m. the state of Michigan will not require those who are fully to wear a mask indoors or outdoors. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer made the announcement Friday after new guidelines were released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Thursday. 

The CDC says people who are fully vaccinated don't need to wear masks unless it's required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial rules, laws, and regulations. 

"For more than a year, we’ve been following the best data and science to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “The vast majority of us have trusted the scientists and experts to keep us safe during the pandemic, and it has worked. With millions of Michiganders fully vaccinated, we can now safely and confidently take the next step to get back to normal. The message is clear: vaccines work to protect you and your loved ones. If you have not yet received your vaccine, now is the time to sign up. This pandemic has been one of the toughest challenges of our lifetimes, but we came together as a state to persevere. We have all been working incredibly hard toward getting back to some sense of normalcy, and today's news makes all of that work worthwhile.”

The updated Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Gatherings and Masks order still requires people who are unvaccinated to continue wearing masks while indoors. 

The broad indoor mask mandate in Michigan is scheduled to expire after July 1.