Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Tuesday, it’s possible some COVID-19 restrictions could be lifted shortly after January 1st. She said that will depend on whether holiday gatherings accelerate the spread of the coronavirus.
The latest iteration of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services order is set to expire January 15th. It includes a ban on in-person dining inside restaurants. The restaurant industry lost a court battle challenging the order. Governor Whitmer, during an online news conference, said she’s watching hospitalization data, and infection rates, as well as how and where the coronavirus is spreading.
“The order was written to go through January 15th taking all these things into consideration, acknowledging that if we are in a strong enough position, we can take that step earlier and that’s something that I’m hopeful we do.”
Whitmer said people avoided large gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday and that slowed the spread of infections. She said as a result, Michigan fared better than surrounding states.