Michigan Allows Construction, Real Estate Activities To Reopen

MICHIGAN — Some types of work that present a low risk of infection, including construciton, real-estate activities and work that is traditionally and primarily performed outside, will be allowed to resume activities on May 7.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order reopening those types of businesses Friday. In a news conference Friday, Whitmer reiterated that the stay-home order remains in effect until May 15, however.

“The vast majority of Michiganders are still doing their part to protect themselves and their families from COVID-19. That’s good, but we must keep it up,” Whitmer said. “As part of our MI Safe Start Plan, we are bringing business and labor leaders together to ensure that while we lift some restrictions on the previous Stay Home, Stay Safe order, we are also protecting workers and their families from the spread of this virus. I want to be clear: we must all continue to stay home and stay safe as much as possible. If we all keep doing our part, we can reduce the risk of a second wave and re-engage our economy safely and responsibly.”

Michigan on Friday reported more than 42,000 coronavirus cases, but the rate of new cases and deaths has begun to plateau, allowing officials to ease some restrictions.

The executive order also requires businesses to adopt measures to protect their workers against the spread of the coronavirus.

“The data shows that we’re ready to lift some of these restrictions while also encouraging Michiganders to continue doing their part under the governor’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order,” said MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “The steps the governor is taking today will help ensure protections for workers and their families from COVID-19 while allowing for work in lower-risk fields to resume. We will keep monitoring the data closely and work with our partners across state government to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

“We are grateful for the governor’s commitment to protecting working people and their families from the spread of COVID-19,” said Pat Devlin, Secretary Treasurer of the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council. “Our dedicated building tradesmen and women are ready to get back to work, and we’re glad the governor has taken steps today to help ensure their safety. We are excited to continue working with Governor Whitmer as she continues to take action on behalf of working families.”

Under the order, construction sites must adopt a set of best practices to protect their workers from infection. Those practices include:

• Designating a site supervisor to enforce coronavirus control strategies.
• Conducting daily health screenings for workers.

• Creating dedicated entry points, if possible, or issuing stickers or other indicators to assure that all workers are screened every day.
• Identifying choke points and high-risk areas (like hallways, hoists and elevators, break areas, water stations, and buses) and controlling them to enable social distancing.
• Ensuring sufficient hand-washing or hand-sanitizing stations at the worksite.

“With an eye towards Michigan’s economic recovery, leadership representing the full spectrum of the construction industry have been working diligently and cooperatively to outline processes and practices that will allow us to safely get back to work,” said Ryan Maibach, President & CEO of Barton Malow and member of the Michigan Economic Recovery Council. “The construction industry is entrenched in a culture of safety, and as we return to work, we are developing and implementing new best practices that further emphasize the well-being of our workers and Michigan’s citizens.”