Concerns Shift To Capacity Limits & Curfew As Gov Allows Indoor Dining

The restaurant industry and their allies were relieved to see confirmation of the Feb. 1 reopening of indoor dining, but many weren’t happy with the restrictions that came along with it.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Friday announced the finalization of the Feb. 1 reopening of indoor dining for restaurants and bars, but with a 10 p.m. curfew and a 25% capacity limit, up to 100 people, under the newest epidemic order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that will take effect Feb. 1 and run until Feb. 21.

The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association said Friday it welcomed the “good, if overdue news” about indoor dining being allowed to resume, but called for Whitmer to “move aggressively towards a more comprehensive reintegration strategy, which includes prioritizing vaccination for the broader hospitality industry and establishing clear metrics for phased reopening to 100% capacity of indoor dining.”

COVID Stats Back To October, Early November Levels

In terms of the raw COVID-19 numbers, Michigan is right back where it was in October and early November.

But now, the cases are going down, as opposed to Halloween, when cases were climbing and the governor was on the cusp of her latest state-ordered pause.

Looking at the MI Safe Start Map, the seven-day average of daily cases per million people was 138 on Jan. 18, the latest data available. The last time the rate was that low was when it was at 135 cases per million people on Oct. 12.

The seven-day average of daily deaths reported on Jan. 18 was 41. The last time it was near that was the seven-day daily average of 39 on Nov. 4.

On the percent of tests coming back positive, the seven-day average stood at 6.7% on Jan. 18. It was back on Oct. 27 when the rate was that low, at 6.9%.

$246M Proposed For Biz Aid In $5.6B Supplemental

The more than 1.2 million Bridge Card beneficiaries in Michigan will see a six-month, 15% bump in their benefits by the end of January, the governor’s office announced Thursday.

A family of four that receives $680 a month, for example, will now see $782 a month, an additional $102 per month to their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting sometime between Thursday and month’s end.

The COVID Recovery Plan announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week included a $2.1 billion request of additional federal authorization for the Food Assistance Program. The same Congress-passed bill increased benefits by 15% for all recipients through June 30.

Bob Wheaton, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the announcement of expanded food assistance benefits “is consistent with the governor’s supplemental request. There is sufficient federal authorization to support these expenditures until additional federal funds are appropriated through the state legislative process.”

No House Freshman Chairs; First Time Since ’09

All but one third-term Republican House member will chair either a standing policy committee or an appropriations subcommittee in 2021-22, based on the release of Thursday’s list.

Only Rep. John Reilly (R-Oxford) will not hold a gavel this term as seniority takes a higher priority in the Speaker Jason Wentworth-led state House of Representatives.

The 101st Legislature marks a change from the prior term in that committee chairs will report bills directly to the floor, creating a higher set of expectations and responsibilities. This approach means a premium is being put on experience.

The House rules could be read that the two-committee screening process for bills was going to be retained, but House Majority Floor Leader Ben Frederick (R-Owosso) said that is not the case.

Bills spending any money must go through appropriations and bills dealing with a criminal penalty must go through Judiciary. Otherwise, committees will be reporting to the floor as was the case prior to last term.

What Industry Is Listed As Having The 3rd Most COVID Outbreaks?

Behind nursing homes and K-12 schools, which industry is next on the list when it comes to reported COVID-19 outbreaks?

It’s the combined manufacturing-construction category, with 443 outbreaks from May 29 to Jan. 14, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data.

Only nursing homes and long-term care facilities (1,040) and K-12 schools (523) have seen more outbreaks among all the settings the state tracks for outbreaks.

The outbreaks tied to manufacturing-construction workplaces is more than those in social gatherings (316), offices (252), retail (213), health care settings (204), restaurants (198) and bars (58) over the same time period.

For the most recent data from Jan. 14, manufacturing-construction had 23 new outbreaks, second most behind the 37 tied to long-term care facilities. As for ongoing outbreaks, manufacturing-construction was listed at 87, again second to long-term care facilities, which includes nursing homes.