Michigan Salons, Barbershops To Open June 15

MICHIGAN — Personal care services, including salons and barbershops, will be able to reopen across Michigan beginning June 15, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced in a news conference Friday.

Northern Michigan, including Michigan's Upper Peninsula, will be advancing to the next phase in the governor's MI Safe Start Plan for reopening the state's economy as well.

"Michigan, the sacrifice that we've made is paying off," Whitmer said during her news conference. "When you look at how we compare to the rest of the nation, we can see that this was a virus that has hit us aggressively. We've had a uniquely tough time with COVID-19.

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"We took the steps we needed to to start to save lives and build up PPE and our testing capabilities. But COVID-19 is still very present here in Michigan, and that's why it's on all of us to keep doing our part."

As of Thursday, Michigan had reported 58,241 total cases of the coronavirus and 5,595 deaths related to the virus.

Beginning June 10, Regions 6 and 8 — which include much of northern Michigan and all of the Upper Peninsula — will advance to Phase 5 of the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan. Phase 5 allows the reopening of salons, movie theaters and gyms.

The governor said that beginning June 15, personal care services, including hair, massages and nails, will reopen statewide. Though the remaining regions, including regions 1-5 and Region 7, will remain the Phase 4, the governor said she expects the entire state to advance to Phase 5 in coming weeks.

Under Phase 5, indoor social gatherings and organized events of up to 50 people are permissible. Outdoor social gatherings and organized events are also allowed if people maintain six feet of distance from one another and the gathering consists of no more than 250 people. In addition, outdoor performance and sporting venues will be open with a larger capacity limit of 500, which will allow for some outdoor graduation ceremonies.

Whitmer has issued an updated rule laying out new workplace safeguards for gyms, in-home services, hair salons, and entertainment venues. Following these safeguards will ensure that workers and patrons alike remain protected as the state moves to reopen, she said.

While Friday's announcement continued to show a positive trend the state has seen in recent weeks, MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said residents need to remain vigilant to avoid a second wave of cases.

"As we move forward with reopening the economy, I want to stress that the risk of COVID-19 is not gone," she said during Friday's news conference. "People must continue to wear a mask in public. Make sure you're maintaining a 6-foot distance from yourself and others if you're in a public space. Clean frequently touched surfaces often and wash your hands."