LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration on Sunday ordered high schools and colleges to stop in-person classes, closed restaurants to indoor dining and stopped organized sports — including the football playoffs — in a bid to curb Michigan’s spiking coronavirus cases.
The restrictions will begin Wednesday and last three weeks. They are not nearly as broad as when the governor issued a stay-at-home order last spring, but they are extensive.
An order written by the state health department also limits indoor residential gatherings to no more than two households, restricts outdoor gatherings to 25 people and closes entertainment facilities such as theaters, bowling alleys and indoor water parks. Gyms and pools can stay open for individual exercise but not group classes.
BREAKING: Gov. Whitmer announces measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.
— Megan Smedley (@Megan_WNDU) November 15, 2020
This is effective Wednesday for three weeks. pic.twitter.com/DfiNL31uU9
The move came as the state faces surging covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.
“If we don’t act now, thousands more will die, and our hospitals will continue to be overwhelmed,” Whitmer said. “We can get through this together by listening to health experts once again and taking action right now to slow the spread of this deadly virus.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer: “If you are considering spending Thanksgiving with people outside of your household, I urge you to reconsider” https://t.co/bpBdIBnbgY pic.twitter.com/jOmJRd4EBn
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 15, 2020
Robert Gordon, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said “indoor gatherings are the great source of spread, and sharply limiting them is our focus.”
