Business groups in Michigan have begged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for months to set data benchmarks that indicate when businesses can fully reopen and shed COVID-19 restrictions.
Whitmer has refused, citing data nuances and arguing that context matters.
Still, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association has crafted a proposal for restrictions based on coronavirus testing statistics.
The MRLA proposed an “economic reintegration strategy” Wednesday, Feb. 17, which would base reopenings on the percentage of Michigan COVID-19 tests coming back positive.
Restaurants would close whenever more than 15% of tests are positive for 14 days in a row, using the seven-day average. This fall and winter, Michigan’s seven-day average peaked at 14.3% – meaning the MRLA plan would not have forced restaurants to shut down.
The MRLA proposes the following benchmarks and restrictions:
Test percentage above 15% over 14 days: Restaurants close, gatherings limited to 10 people and two households.
Test percentage 10 to 15% over seven days: Restaurants open at 25% capacity, 10 p.m. curfew, contact tracing required, seated service only, indoor events limited to 15 per 1,000 square feet with no more than 50 people
Test percentage 7 to 10% over seven days: Restaurants open at 50% capacity, 10 p.m. curfew, contact tracing required, seated service only, indoor events limited to 25 per 1,000 square feet with no more than 150 people
Test percentage 3 to 7% over seven days: Restaurants open at 50% capacity, no curfew, no contact tracing, seated service only, indoor events limited to 50 per 1,000 square feet with no more than 250 people
Test percentage less than 3% over seven days: Restaurants open at 100% capacity, no limitations
Michigan currently has a 3.5% positive test average in the last seven days.
Indoor dining was prohibited in Michigan between Nov. 18 and Jan. 31. The current restrictions limit occupancy to 25% with a 10 p.m. closing time. The current restrictions were supposed to expire Feb. 21, but were quietly extended to March 29 just days after indoor dining restarted.
Related: Michigan quietly extended 25% restaurant capacity limit, 10 p.m. curfew through March 29
“We have long advocated the need for a more comprehensive strategy for the economic reintegration of our restaurants, banquet centers and entertainment venues in Michigan,” said Justin Winslow, MRLA president and CEO. “Through this plan, we are putting our metrics where our mouth is and hope it proves a useful tool to elected leaders as we enter a new phase of the pandemic.”
The plan was designed by looking at other states’ reopening plans. Test positivity rates was frequently used as one of the key metrics in many states, an MRLA spokesperson said.
Whitmer addressed the proposal during a news conference Wednesday, saying she’ll always listen to input. But she added that if Michiganders want to raise capacity at restaurants, they need to keep helping COVID-19 numbers decline.
“Michigan is in a stronger position than most other states in the nation right now – it’s because the pause worked,” Whitmer said. “It’s because we’re being very thoughtful about incrementally re-engaging sectors of our economy that just inherently pose a higher risk.”
Test positivity, new cases and hospitalizations are the main metrics the state considers when calling for reopenings and closings.
“All these metrics, you need to pick one or two,” said Charles Owens, Michigan director of the National Federation of Independent Business. “You can’t pick five metrics, because they waver all over the place. I think that what (the MRLA is suggesting) is appropriate.”
Owens is hopeful the Whitmer administration will consider the MRLA’s reopening plan.
“What our members are telling us is, ‘If we had a benchmark that was public and it was consistent and it had a lot of credibility, then we can work off of that,’” Owens said. “But (state leaders) don’t get that. We’ll see how it goes with the administration.”
The Small Business Association of Michigan and Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance also support the MRLA reintegration plan, the groups said in Wednesday news releases.
The MRLA is also pushing Michigan to allow restaurant workers to move up in line for vaccine eligibility.
“There is no faster way to build back our restaurants and hotels than through the systematic, expedited vaccination of Michigan’s hospitality industry,” Winslow said in the release. “Vaccination will provide safety to frontline workers, allow for the stable reintegration of Michigan’s second largest employer and restore public confidence that they may safely dine and travel once again.”
