Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday she is lifting the state's stay-at-hole order, with retailers opening this week and restaurants and bars being permitted to reopen June 8, as the state's coronavirus numbers are continuing to drop.
"The data has shown that we are ready to carefully move our state into the next phase," the Democrat governor said during a press conference, reports The Hill.
Groups of 100 or less will be allowed to gather outdoors, effective immediately, but people must maintain physical distancing, Whitmer said, but indoor social gatherings and events with more than 10 people are still not allowed.
In addition to restaurants and bars reopening June 8, swimming pools and kids' day camps can also reopen.
Also, while casinos, indoor theaters, gyms, hair salons, and barber shops will remain closed, office workers can go back to work and in-home services such housekeeping can restart, Whitmer said.
Residents should still wear masks in public and practice physical distancing, Whitmer said. According to state health officials, hospitalization numbers are down, the numbers of positive cases and deaths are declining, and frontline workers have enough personal protective equipment to past several weeks.
Whitmer added more restrictions can be lifted before July 4, if numbers continue to decline over the next 2-3 weeks, but she is worried about some residents who have been crossing state lines to go to restaurants or to get their hair cut, as neighboring Ohio has seen an increase in cases.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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