Restaurant Capacities to Increase, Other Changes Made by Updated State Order
(Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce, March 2, 2021)
Today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated its epidemic order, effective March 5, allowing for increased capacity limits at various venues, larger residential and nonresidential gatherings and expanded visitation opportunities at residential care facilities.
Restaurants and bars may have 50% indoor dining capacity, up to 100 people. Tables must still be six feet apart, with a max of six people at a table. The order also backs the curfew on indoor dining to 11 p.m.
Families can begin visiting their loved ones in nursing homes, provided the visitors have received a negative COVID-19 test.
Retail shops are allowed to operate at 50% indoor capacity. It had been 30%.
Indoor private residential gatherings can now accommodate 15 people (up from 10) from three separate households (up from two). Outdoor residential gatherings are allowed to have up to 50 people.
Indoor gatherings involving people from different households are allowed to have up to 25 people.
Outdoor gatherings can resume with up to 300 people.
The 50% capacity limit (up to 300 people) also applies to venues such as movie theaters, bowling alleys and other entertainment venues.
Athletic stadiums and arenas that seat 10,000 people or fewer may allow up to 375 attendees. If the seating capacity is above 10,000, they can have 750 people.
Casinos are allowed to function at 30% indoor capacity.
Gyms are allowed to operate at 30% capacity, but workout machines must remain at least six feet apart.
The epidemic order continues to temporarily pause other venues and activities where participants have close physical contacts and are not consistently masked, like water parks. As before, employees who work in jobs that cannot be performed from home can continue to go to work, while employees who can work from home should continue to do so.
Click HERE to Read the Full Epidemic Order