Michigan Restaurants - Tie Restrictions To Data, Not A Whim

The President of a 5 thousand member restaurant association in Michigan is calling out Governor Gretchen Whitmer once again. Justin Winslow is President of the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association. For months now, he’s been accusing the Governor of imposing closing orders and restrictions on restaurants without valid reasoning to support the actions.

The Detroit News reports at least 3, 000 restaurants in Michigan have permanently closed since closing orders were imposed by the Governor due to COVID-19. That’s an average of about 60 a week closing for good. Now with a 25% seating restriction and mandatory 10 pm closing time order in place, Winslow says the restaurant association is proposing a way to bring clarity and uniformity to virus controls.

The association wants any closings or restrictions in the future to be directly connected to the state’s reporting of virus statistics. Winslow says that’s the only way to assure both restaurant owners and employees, along with customers, that there is some level of fairness involved going into the future. Winslow says the association’s proposal should be considered a pathway for state legislators and the Governor to take into account as long-term virus issues are decided. He calls it a, “…metric-driven roadmap to eventually restore normal operations within the hospitality industry."

The association’s plan is very detailed, spelling out what type of restrictions or lack of same would be allowed based on virus testing results. For instance, restaurants would be allowed to fully reopen with no restrictions if Michigan’s seven-day virus testing average for a 7 day period stays under 3% for two consecutive weeks.

The restaurant group is also asking that restaurant and hospitality workers, in general, be moved up to the front of the line for vaccine availability. So far, no response from the Governor’s office.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.