Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she will extend the “pause” on indoor restaurant dining and in-person high school and college classes for another 12 days.
Whitmer's initial three-week order was implemented through a Department of Health and Human Services epidemic order, and was set to expire Wednesday. The extension will last through December 20.
"There is more work we need to do to protect one another," said Whitmer. "We cannot let up yet."
The November 18 order from MDHHS also closed movie theaters, conference centers, concert halls, performance venues, sporting venues, stadiums, the three Detroit casinos, arcades, bowling centers, ice skating rinks and indoor water parks, amusement parks, bingo halls, night clubs, strip clubs and trampoline parks. Whitmer also barred group fitness classes and tightened occupancy limits for retailers, libraries and museums. The extended order continues the ban on all of those activities, and will continue the indoor gathering limit of 10 people with no more than two households and the outdoor gathering limit of 25.
The chief medical officers of Michigan's hospitals and health systems sent an open letter Monday urging Whitmer to extend the restrictions.
"We still don’t know what impact Thanksgiving will have," hospital officials wrote, "but we do know that with the recent pause, we’re seeing some slight improvements. As a state, we must not let our guard down and reverse this progress."
This is a developing story.
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