Governor announces reopening plan

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday outlined “the MI Vacc to Normal Challenge” – a plan to loosen or remove COVID-19 restrictions based on vaccination rates in the state.

“On our path to vaccinating 70% of Michiganders 16 and up, we can take steps to gradually get back to normal while keeping people safe,” she said in a press release. “If you haven’t already, I encourage you to rise to the challenge and be a part of the solution so we can continue our economic recovery and have the summer we all crave.”

Reopening Michigan will move in steps:

• Two weeks after 55% of Michiganders 16 and up have received one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, the state will allow office workers to return to in-person work.
• Two weeks after 60% of eligible Michiganders receive one dose, capacity limits will be increased. Sports stadiums, conference centers, banquet halls, and funeral homes will be allowed to operate at 25% capacity. Also, the 11pm curfew on bars and restaurants will be lifted.
• Two weeks after 65% of eligible Michiganders receive one dose, all indoor capacity limits will be lifted, though social distancing will still be required. Also, limits on residential gatherings will be loosened.
• Two weeks after we reach 70%, the state will get rid of the mask mandate and lift all restrictions on social gatherings.

Once 70% vaccination has been reached, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will effectively be out of the COVID-19 mitigation business.

“MDHHS will no longer employ broad mitigation measures unless unanticipated circumstances arise, such as the spread of vaccine-resistant variants,” reads the press release.

You can read more on MLive.