(WWJ) Detroit's three casinos will reopen next week by order of the governor, while she tightens up some other restrictions.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer late Wednesday signed a pair of executive orders, which will open those casinos on August 5, with capacities limited to 15% and other restrictions in place.
The casinos have been closed since mid-March due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
"As you know, that's a great revenue source for the city," WWJ Lansing Bureau Chef Tim Skubick reported. "They've been getting zippo from the casinos as long as they've been shut down, but now the governor says go ahead and open 'em, but only at 15% capacity."
Casinos must also, among other things, conduct a daily entry screening protocol for customers and employees, temperature screening. Casinos must require patrons to wear a face covering, except while eating or drinking or for identification purposes.
Meanwhile, some coronavirus-related restrictions are being tightened in northern Michigan.
Under the Safe Start Order, starting July 31, statewide indoor gatherings will be limited to 10 people and bars will be closed for indoor service across the state, including in Regions 6 and 8.
Executive Order 2020-160 also orders that bars in every region, including those in regions 6 and 8, must close for indoor service if they earn more than 70% of their gross receipts from sales of alcoholic beverages.
These limits on bars and gatherings were already in place in most of Michigan, including metro Detroit.
“As we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Michiganders cannot afford to drop our guard. We must take every step possible to save lives, protect the brave men and women on the front lines, and avoid overwhelming our healthcare system while we continue to combat COVID-19,” said Whitmer, in statement. “After seeing a resurgence in cases connected to social gatherings across the state, we must further limit gatherings for the health of our community and economy. By taking these strong actions, we will be better positioned to get our children back into classrooms and avoid a potentially devastating second wave.”
As for why, Whitmer says big gatherings have proven to be a problem.
The governor's office says COVID-19’s resurgence is closely associated with super-spreading events at large social gatherings, often attended by young people. An outbreak at a Lansing bar has resulted in 187 infections; more than 50 cases have been linked to a single house party in Saline; and a sandbar party at Torch Lake over the July 4 weekend led to at least 43 confirmed cases. Therefore, Executive Order 2020-160 limits statewide indoor gatherings to 10 people or less and, across most of the state, limits outdoor gatherings to 100. The outdoor gathering limits will remain at 250 in Regions 6 and 8.
Read Executive Order 2020-160 here; and Executive Order 2020-161 here.
This news came along with a jump in the daily coronavirus cases in Michigan.
The state health department said 996 new cases were confirmed Wednesday, although about 300 of them are due to a backlog of test results received from a commercial laboratory and are older lab results. The percent positive is up to 4.86 % — the highest since May 29 — and 442 people were reported hospitalized.
Only two new deaths were reported Wednesday.