LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) - Bars in much of Lower Michigan are required to close indoor facilities again due to coronavirus.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an order Wednesday afternoon forcing bars to allow only outdoor service and to-go drink orders, which just became legal under a package of bills she signed earlier in the day. An expiration of the orders was not announced.
Bars in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula can remain open indoors. Most vineyards, brewpubs and restaurants that receive less than 70% of the sales from alcohol can keep indoor dining rooms open.
Whitmer noted that daily coronavirus increases have been larger than in the past, so she hopes closing indoor bar service will help tamp down the resurgence of the illness. Bars, including Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub in East Lansing, have been tied to coronavirus outbreaks in recent weeks.
“Following recent outbreaks tied to bars, I am taking this action today to slow the spread of the virus and keep people safe,” Whitmer said. “If we want to be in a strong position to reopen schools for in-person classroom instruction this fall, then we need to take aggressive action right now to ensure we don’t wipe out all the progress we have made.”
She said statewide and national trends show younger people are contracting coronavirus at higher rates than before. Florida, Louisiana and Texas have dealt with outbreaks tied directly to bars like Harper’s.
Whitmer said bars are often crowded with poor ventilation and a lot of noise, so people yell a lot. That creates ideal conditions for coronavirus to spread rapidly between people, she said.
“If we open up our economy too quickly, the efforts of the last three months will be for nothing and we will have to go through this pain all over again and put our economy, health and medical system at risk,” Whitmer said. “Nobody wants to move backward. Everyone, please do your part, and let’s show the nation and the world how smart we are.”
She signed legislation on Wednesday that allows bars and restaurants to sell cocktails and alcoholic drinks to-go for the first time in Michigan. Other legislation signed Wednesday allows more outdoor social districts, which allow bars to increase outdoor seating capacity.
“I am hopeful providing options for cocktails-to-go and expanded social districts will ensure these businesses can remain open and Michiganders can safely and responsibly enjoy their summer outdoors,” Whitmer said.
Copyright 2020 WJRT. All rights reserved.
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