The governor of Michigan is weighing whether to extend a ban on indoor dining at restaurants as cases of COVID-19 continue to surge in the state. Restaurant owners say the ban is strangling their business.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration ordered the ban three weeks ago. It expires this week.
A restaurant association un-successfully sued to overturn the ban, and now GOP legislators say Whitmer should specify what restaurants must do to reopen.
But Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist told TV station WDIV, it depends on how well Michiganders follow safety protocols.
“It’s our practices that are gonna help us slow the spread of this virus. And that’ll get us to thresholds that we can then look at what kind of activities have different levels of risk.”
Gilchrist notes hospitals across Michigan are running out of beds because of Covid-19 cases, with a further spike possible among those who traveled during Thanksgiving.