LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is lifting the stay-at-home order and allowing bars and restaurants to resume service on June 8.
According to the Associated Press, day camps for children and swimming pools will be able to open on June 8 as well, and outdoor crowds of up to 100 people will be allowed immediately. The state will go into phase 4, and Whitmer said the goal is to get to phase 5 by the Fourth of July.
Related: Read the entire executive order reopening bars & restaurants, rescinding stay-at-home order
Gyms, hair salons, tattoo parlors and casinos will remain closed, but outdoor fitness classes, athletic practices, training sessions or games can begin. Coaches, spectators, participants and those not in the same household will have to maintain social distancing.
The bars, restaurants and retail stores will have to maintain 50% capacity. Earlier this month, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said they were exploring areas to close some streets to allow more outdoor seating for bars and restaurants.
Whitmer also said that later this week, she plans to move regions 6 and 8, the Traverse City area and Upper Peninsula, into phase 5.
The number of coronavirus deaths in Michigan is up to 5,516 while the number of cases is at 57,532, according to new numbers for the State of Michigan on Monday.
That's up 25 deaths and 135 cases from Sunday, and is the lowest number of cases reported since March 18 when there were just 15 new cases reported. By the next day, there had been 254 new cases.
Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan is called "improving" and occurs "when the number of new cases and deaths has fallen for a period of time, but overall case levels are still high.
The plan is for the state to quickly identify, trace and contain new cases with testing and contact tracing.
Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun still encouraged people to stay safe when going out.
“No one wants to move backwards, but if we see a spike coming, we may have to," Whitmer said, encouraging people to take precautions even as they slowly begin going back out.
"The threat of the disease has not gone away. There is no vaccine, no anti-viral treatment. One person can still infect many, many more people," Khaldun said.
Most businesses will be able to open under this phase in some capacity. That includes retail businesses, which were already open as of last week, manufacturing, construction, food and agriculture and more.
Offices will be able to open under the plan, but remote work is still required where feasible. Social distancing will be maintained when outdoors and in public, and face coverings are still required.
Just before Memorial Day, Whitmer moved two regions in the state to phase 4 and allowed restaurants in the Traverse City area and Upper Peninsula to open with 50% capacity.
You can read more below.
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