South Michigan News

Michigan Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Oct. 30.

The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) issued a new “Gatherings and Face Mask Order” Thursday, which imposes new and somewhat arbitrary restrictions and requirements on Michigan businesses.

Effective immediately, indoor venues without fixed seating must limit gatherings to no more than 50 people (previously 500). This includes indoor gatherings such as weddings, parties and banquets which occur in nonresidential settings without fixed seating. The Order also specifies that at all bars, restaurants and social events outside private homes and indoor party sizes at a single table are now restricted to six people.

The Order also requires, effective Nov. 2, all dine-in food service establishments to maintain accurate records of the names and phone numbers of patrons who purchase food for consumption on the premises, and the date and time of entry. Other establishments must do the same based on an Oct. 9 MDHHS Order. These establishments include:

• All businesses or operations that provide barbering, cosmetology services, body art services (including tattooing and body piercing), tanning services, massage services, or similar personal care services;
• Sports and entertainment facilities (except outdoor, unticketed sporting events), including arenas, cinemas, concert halls, performance venues, sporting venues, stadiums and theaters, as well as places of public amusement, such as amusement parks, arcades, bingo halls, bowling centers, skating rinks, and trampoline parks;
• Gymnasiums, fitness centers, recreation centers, exercise facilities, exercise studios, bowling centers, roller rinks, ice rinks, and like facilities.

Effective immediately and upon request, businesses, schools, and other facilities must provide names and phone numbers of individuals with possible COVID-19 exposure to MDHHS and local health departments to aid in contact tracing and case investigation efforts.

The Order brings the Traverse City and Northern Michigan regions back to “Phase Four” of the MI Safe Start system, joining the rest of the state.

Finally, the Order increases fines and enforcement. It specifies law enforcement officers are deemed to be “department representatives” for purposes of enforcing the Order and are specifically authorized to investigate potential violations of this order. It also specifies that a violation of the Order is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or a fine of not more than $200.00, or both and that violations are also punishable by a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each violation or day that a violation continues.

While we understand the Whitmer Administration (via MDHHS) issued this Order to get a handle on the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, these requirements appear to be outside the department’s statutory authority and equate to regulatory overreach. They seem to be arbitrarily targeting some industry sectors without any corresponding science or data to back up these mandates. The COVID-19 outbreak investigation data collected by the MDHHS continues to show minimal transmission from restaurants and bars, personal services or entertainment facilities. We will be exploring these questions and concerns further in the coming days.

The full Order can be viewed here and the previous MDHHS Order (rescinded and replaced by this Order) can be found here.

Please contact the Chamber if you have any questions about this Order at info@michamber.com.

Original source can be found here.

Source: Michigan Chamber of Commerce