Governor Whitmer Opens More Business but Still No Haircuts

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is allowing auto dealers to re-open their showrooms by appointment only, starting Tuesday, May 26^th.   Whitmer signed executive orders which also give the green light to lift the requirement that health care providers delay some nonessential medical, dental, and veterinary procedures starting on Friday, May 29th.

The order also authorizes small gatherings of 10 people or less starting immediately, as long as participants practice social distancing. 

Governor Whitmer will still not allow barbers and hairstylists to re-open their shops.  Bars and restaurants in the lower two-thirds of Michigan are also out of luck for now.

The governor’s openings also come with strings attached in the form of additional regulation and oversight.   Per the amended order, reopened outpatient health-care facilities, including clinics, primary care physician offices, and dental offices will have to adopt strict protocols to prevent infection. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs will issue guidance to aid those facilities in adopting appropriate safeguards. 

As before, businesses maintaining in-person activities must adopt social distancing practices and other mitigation measures to protect workers. They must, among other things, provide COVID-19 training to workers that covers, at a minimum, workplace infection-control practices, the proper use of PPE, steps workers must take to notify the business or operation of any symptoms of COVID-19 or a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, and how to report unsafe working conditions.