LANSING, Mich. – In the 11 weeks since Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer first issued the stay-at-home order, much of the state has reopened as the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) slows.
That trend continues Monday, with restaurants reopening to in-person service, as long as they follow safe COVID-19 protocols.
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Here’s a look at everything that’s reopened across the entire state so far.
Recent reopenings
Restaurants
Whitmer announced June 1 that she was lifting the stay-at-home order for the entire state. One week later, restaurants are allowed to let customers back inside.
Groups have to stay at least six feet apart, servers have to wear masks and restaurants cannot fill past 50% capacity.
Restaurants had previously been limited to carry-out and delivery. Each business will have to make a decision: Is it worth reopening with these limitations?
Stay-at-home order lifted
When the stay-at-home order was lifted, Whitmer opened the door for many types of businesses -- both inside and outside -- to resume operations.
Up until June 1, retail businesses were allowed to have up to 10 customers at a time, but all business had to be by appointment. Now customers can shop without appointments, a modification that went into effect Thursday (June 4). Social distancing and safe coronavirus rules will still be enforced.
Day camps for children, as well as pools, can open Monday (June 8), though many of them are deciding to remain closed through the summer. These types of outdoor activities had been a hot topic of discussion as the weather improves in Michigan.
Under the new order, outdoor high school graduation parties are also allowed, as long as people who don’t live together stay at least six feet apart. Those gatherings can’t exceed 100 people.
Outdoor fitness classes, athletic practices, training sessions and games are allowed as long as coaches, spectators and participants not from the same household maintain a distance of six feet from one another at all times, Whitmer said.
That means gyms and fitness centers can hold outdoor classes and workouts as well, but they have to meet the social distancing guidelines.
In-home services, such as house cleaning, are also permitted.
Drive-in movie theaters can open, but indoor theaters remain closed.
Any office workers whose jobs can’t be done remotely may return to the office, effective immediately, Whitmer said.
Gatherings
The governor previously allowed gatherings of up to 10 people on May 21. That’s still the rule for indoor gatherings, but when she lifted the stay-at-home order, Whitmer expanded the size of groups that can gather outside to 100.
In regions six and eight, up to 50 people can gather inside and up to 250 people can gather outside.
Participants must still practice social distancing, Whitmer said. Anyone able to wear a face mask must do so over their nose and mouth when in an enclosed public space, she said.
Coming soon
Hairstylists, nail salons, massages
Hair, nail and massage businesses across the state of Michigan will be allowed to reopen on June 15.
Hair salons have been a controversial topic in June, as Whitmer didn’t originally reopen them when she lifted the stay-at-home order and moved the rest of the state to phase four of her MI Safe Start Plan.
These personal care services will reopen five days earlier -- on Wednesday (June 10) -- in the Upper Peninsula and Traverse City Region. You can read more about that in the section below.
Northern Michigan to phase five
On Friday (June 5), the northernmost parts of the state -- the Upper Peninsula and 17 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula -- moved to phase five of Whitmer’s reopening plan.
These changes will go into effect Wednesday (June 10).
For weeks, Northern Michigan was in phase four of the plan while the rest of the state was in phase three. Days after the rest of the state caught up, regions six and eight were ready to advance to the next phase, Whitmer said.
Not sure how the regions work in the reopening plan? Click here. Want to see which region your county is in? Here’s a list of which region all 83 Michigan counties are divided into.
Indoor arcades, bowling alleys, cinemas, climbing facilities, convention centers, meeting halls, night clubs, performance spaces, sports arenas, theaters and similar venues can reopen, under certain restrictions.
Those indoor venues can only allow customers to 25% capacity or 250 people, whichever results in fewer people.
Outdoor concert spaces, race tracks, sports arenas, stadiums and similar venues can also reopen, under certain restrictions. The venues can only allow customers to 25% capacity or 500 people, whichever results in fewer people.
READ: Here’s how 25 sports have been divided into high, moderate, low COVID-19 risk categories
Groups who don’t live in the same household have to maintain six feet of distance from each other at all times -- both at indoor and outdoor venues.
Rest of state to phase five?
On Friday (June 5), Whitmer said the entire state will move to the fifth phase of her reopening plan “in the coming weeks.”
“The good news is that we are headed in the right direction, and if the current trajectory continues, I anticipate we’ll be able to announce more sectors reopening in the coming weeks,” Whitmer said. "We owe it to our front line workers to keep doing our part.”
“We are still on an encouraging trajectory across the state, and while there are regional differences, we are seeing continued general rates of decline in cases and deaths,” said MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun.
Previous months
Statewide businesses, medical procedures
May 21 marked the first major statewide reopening since the coronavirus shutdown, as Whitmer loosened restrictions on retail and medical practices.
Whitmer said retail businesses could reopen, as well as auto dealerships, by appointment starting May 19.
At the time, retail businesses that reopened could only have up to 10 customers inside at once.
Businesses with in-person interaction had to implement rules to protect workers, such as training them on infection control practices and the proper use of personal protective equipment.
Whitmer also lifted restrictions on health care providers who had to delay some nonessential medical, dental and veterinary procedures. Those procedures resumed May 29.
The governor updated workplace safety rules, requiring reopened health care facilities to adopt strict protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Bars, restaurants, retail up north
Whitmer announced May 18 that bars, restaurants and retail businesses would partially reopen in the two northernmost regions.
In the Upper Peninsula and the Traverse City Region, restaurants and bars were allowed to open at 50% capacity at 12:01 a.m. May 22.
Office workers whose jobs couldn’t be done remotely were allowed return to work in those regions, Whitmer announced.
Retail business were also allowed to reopen in those regions, but companies had to provide personal protective equipment to workers, keep everyone six feet apart and ensure employees understood how to safely maneuver in this environment.
Manufacturing
Michigan’s economy got a much-needed lift when Whitmer announced she would reopen manufacturing, including the Big 3 automakers.
Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler would be allowed to reopen at the beginning of the following week, Whitmer announced May 7.
Manufacturing companies were required to take steps to protect workers from the spread of COVID-19, including daily entry screenings for everyone entering the facility, a questionnaire covering symptoms and exposure to people with possible COVID-19 and temperature checks as soon as no-touch thermometers could be obtained.
Thousands of Metro Detroit autoworkers officially got back on the job on May 18 as Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler assembly plants started rolling again.
Construction, real estate
On May 1, after extending her stay-at-home order, this time until May 28, Whitmer reopened certain types of work that are typically outdoors and have a low risk of spreading the coronavirus.
That included construction work and real estate.
Michigan residents were still required to stay in their homes, with the exception of running critical errands, spending time outdoors or traveling to specified jobs.
Outdoor businesses
Whitmer first loosened restrictions April 24, when she extended her stay-at-home order through May 15.
She allowed some businesses linked to outdoor activities, such as golf and motorized boating, to reopen.
Landscapers, lawn-service companies, plant nurseries and bike repair shops were allowed to resume operating, subject to social-distancing rules.
Stores selling nonessential supplies could reopen for curbside pickup and delivery.
Big-box retailers no longer had to close off garden centers and areas dedicated to selling paint, flooring and carpet.
Golfing was allowed, but without golf carts. Golf carts were later reinstated.
Whitmer also allowed people with multiple in-state homes to resume traveling between them, though it was strongly discouraged.
What still isn’t open?
Whitmer provided a list of businesses that remain closed in the June 1 executive order that moved the entire state to phase four of her reopening plan.
Here are the businesses that remain closed in every region except for the Upper Peninsula and Traverse City Region (items specified as “indoor” mean only the indoor versions of the businesses are singled out as closed in the executive order):
- Amusement parks
- Arcades
- Bingo halls
- Body art facilities
- Bowling alleys
- Casinos licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board
- Climbing facilities (indoor)
- Dance areas (indoor)
- Exercise facilities (indoor)
- Exercise studios (indoor)
- Fitness centers (indoor)
- Gymnasiums (indoor)
- Millionaire Parties licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board
- Piercing services
- Racetracks licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board
- Recreation centers (indoor)
- Skating rinks
- Sports facilities (indoor)
- Tanning salons
- Tattoo parlors
- Theaters, cinemas, and performance venues (indoor)
- Trampoline parks
The executive order says any indoor services or facilities, or outdoor services or facilities, involving close contact between people for amusement or other recreational or entertainment purposes are closed.
Obviously, some items on this list are being reopened in regions six and eight, since Whitmer moved those regions to phase five of the plan.
Indoor arcades, bowling alleys, cinemas, climbing facilities, convention centers, meeting halls, night clubs, performance spaces, sports arenas, theaters, outdoor concert spaces, race tracks, sports arenas, stadiums and similar venues are reopening Wednesday (June 10) in the Upper Peninsula and Traverse City Region, as stated above.
Any items on the above bullet point list that are not included in the June 5 reopening announcement for regions six and eight remain closed statewide.