Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday suspended indoor bar services statewide and limited indoor gatherings to 10 people, citing “super-spreading” events in Lansing, Saline and the Torch Lake area.
“After seeing a resurgence in cases connected to social gatherings across the state, we must further limit gatherings for the health of our community and economy,” Whitmer said in a statement. “By taking these strong actions, we will be better positioned to get our children back into classrooms and avoid a potentially devastating second wave.”
Whitmer originally placed restrictions on gatherings on March 13, prohibiting groups larger than 250 from gathering. She also announced school closures starting on March 16 and put a stay-at-home order in place on March 24. The stay-at-home order was rescinded on June 1 and allowed restaurants, bars and retail to reopen.
Michigan residents are currently required to wear a mask when in any indoor space or when they are outdoors and unable to socially distance, according to an executive order enacted on July 10.
Whitmer originally re-closed bars on July 1, but exempted the Upper Peninsula and parts of northern Michigan from the order. Her most recent order closes bars statewide.
Her order also limits outdoor gatherings to 100 people, although they will be limited to 250 people in Regions 6 and 8, which includes the Upper Peninsula and the north part of the Lower Peninsula.
Whitmer cited several outbreaks across the state as the reason for her order, including 187 infections linked to a Lansing bar, more than 50 cases linked to a Saline house party and 43 confirmed cases linked to a sandbar party at Torch lake over the July 4 weekend.
Michigan currently has more than 83,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The death toll is 6,212.
There are currently 727 hospitalizations as a result of the coronavirus, according to data from The Covid Tracking Project. That is up from a low of 471 hospitalizations on July 1, but down from the recent spike of 751 hospitalizations on July 25.
Michigan also saw seven new deaths on August 1, but also saw recent spikes of 30 deaths on July 7, 28 deaths on July 11 and 21 deaths on July 30, according to The Covid Tracking Project.
There are more than 60,000 considered recovered from the virus in Michigan, according to MDHHS.
“As we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Michiganders cannot afford to drop our guard. We must take every step possible to save lives, protect the brave men and women on the front lines, and avoid overwhelming our healthcare system while we continue to combat COVID-19,” Whitmer said.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
