Virus-stricken Mich. extends mask order
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan on Friday extended by five weeks a pandemic order that limits business capacity and requires masks in public, even for young children in day care, as the state battles the country’s highest daily coronavirus infection rate.
The measure, which was expected and replaces one that had been due to expire Monday, says that in addition to existing measures, child care facilities and camps must make a “good faith effort” to ensure children ages 2 to 4 wear face coverings starting April 26. That age group was previously exempt.
The revision aligns with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the state health department said. Conservatives criticized putting masks on 2-yearolds.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has resisted tightening restrictions that were in place during two previous COVID-19 surges, including prohibitions on indoor restaurant dining, in-person high school instruction and youth sports. She instead is urging a voluntary pause on the activities and pushing vaccinations and treatments.
The order, which goes through May 24 and was signed by Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, keeps intact mandatory regular testing of teen athletes. It was first issued in the fall following the state Supreme Court’s invalidation of an emergency-powers law the governor had used to write orders.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health, described progress in vaccinations but said she was “incredibly concerned about our state’s COVID-19 data. We are still very much fighting this pandemic and seeing concerning trends in new cases and hospitalizations.”
The restaurant and hospitality industry supported the extended order, which continues to cap food establishments’ occupancy at 50% and no more than 100 customers. It “very importantly opts not to close them a third time as has been suggested by some,” said Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association.