By David Eggert
Associated Press
LANSING (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a sweeping order Monday banning dine-in customers at restaurants and closing all bars, movie theaters, gyms and other sports facilities to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The measure is set to last through March. Businesses can still offer food and beverages for pickup, delivery and via a drive-through service.
“This disease is a challenge unlike any we’ve experienced in our lifetimes,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Fighting it will cause significant but temporary changes to our daily lives. ... This is about saving lives.”
The state reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the Michigan total to 53.
Among the new cases is the state's first child to test positive, a boy from Oakland County, and the first in Ottawa County west of Grand Rapids.
Whitmer previously declared a state emergency, closed all schools, prohibited gatherings of more than 250 people and restricted visits to hospitals and other facilities.
She said Sunday she saw “incredibly disturbing" photos on social media of patrons still cramming into establishments and not observing social distancing amid a global pandemic.
For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The disease has infected over 169,000 people worldwide, and more than 6,500 people have died so far.
The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, the trade group for more than 5,000 food-service and lodging establishments, backed Whitmer's decision.
“It is incumbent upon all Michiganders to remain united to prevent a catastrophic overrun of our limited healthcare resources,” said president and CEO Justin Winslow. “We recognize the governor’s decision is for the health and well-being of all Michigan citizens, however, the restaurant and lodging industries will be decimated in the coming weeks, severely impacting the 600,000 people they employ.”
People can help, he said, by buying gift cards from their favorite restaurant and still ordering carryout or delivery. Restaurants may allow up to five people inside at a time to get orders, so long as they stay 6 feet apart from each other.
Winslow urged Whitmer to move immediately to qualify Michigan for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s economic injury disaster loan program and to work quickly to infuse more liquidity for small businesses struggling to make payroll and keep their doors open.
Illinois, Ohio, Washington state and New York City are among the other places that have ordered bars to close and restaurants to stop dine-in service.
Whitmer, who with other governors was to be briefed by Trump on Monday, said the state needs more tests, personal protection equipment, masks and hand sanitizer. The state's chief medical executive has warned that the state lab is having trouble quickly reporting test results due to capacity issues.
“We need to make sure that we've got the ability to make all the tests, to run the tests and to get results in real time,” Whitmer said on MSNBC. “All of these come in the form of assistance and leadership at the federal level. I would love to see a coherent policy when it comes to ordering people not to do unnecessary travel. I think that there are a lot of pieces that the feds need to step up on.”
Also Monday, one of Michigan's largest utilities, Consumers Energy, said it would suspend non-payment shutoffs for low-income and senior customers — two days after DTE Energy announced similar actions.
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