Michigan Restaurants Push for More Aggressive Reopening Plan

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Restaurants in Michigan are currently limited to seating customers at 25 percent capacity and must adhere to a 10 pm curfew, but that would change if a proposal outlined by the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association is adopted.

The group, which represents more than 5,000 food and lodging establishments throughout the state, wants restaurant restrictions to be tied more closely with the number of positive COVID-19 tests. A spokesman for the MRLA tells the Detroit News that relying on such a metric is "a reliable barometer to measure the saturation of the virus in an area at a given time."

Under the terms of the proposal, restaurants would adhere to the following guidelines:

• If the seven-day average positivity rate remained above 15% for 14 consecutive days, indoor dining would be closed.
• If the seven-day average remained between 10% and 15% for seven consecutive days, indoor dining would be allowed with 25% capacity and a 10 pm curfew would be enforced.
• If the seven-day average remained between 7% and 10% for seven days, capacity limits for restaurants would be increased to 50%.
• If the seven-day average remained between 3% and 7% for seven days, curfews would be lifted.
• If the seven-day average remained less than 3% for 14 consecutive days, all capacity and curfew restrictions would be lifted.

A chart with the full description of the proposal submitted to the Michigan Department of Health and Huaman Services is published here.

Michigan's average positive test rate for coronavirus is 4.0%.