Michigan's Expanded Mask Rules Begin Monday: Monday Briefing

MICHIGAN — Beginning on Monday, children ages 2-4 are included in Michigan's mask mandate.

Children had previously been exempt from the state's mask mandates, but state health officials on April 16 announced an expansion to those rules, which also extended capacity restrictions and some size limitations on gatherings amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The order extends the requirements to May 24.

Under the extended orders, indoor residential gatherings in Michigan are limited to 15 people from up to three households. Outdoor gatherings can include up to 50 people.

Non-residential gatherings indoor and outdoor are restricted to 25 and 300 people, respectively, according to the order.

Here are some other stories of note for this week.

Michigan Lifts Pause on Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

Michigan is recommending COVID-19 vaccine providers across the state resume the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on people 18 and older, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced late Friday.

Use of the vaccine was temporarily paused on April 13 following a recommendation from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because of blood-clot concerns.

However, federal health officials on Friday adopted a committee's recommendation that the pause on the Johnson & Johnson single-dose coronavirus vaccine be lifted, effectively putting the vaccine in use again.

The J&J pause was recommended on April 13 following reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the vaccine.

Full Pink Supermoon Monday Evening

The super pink moon rises Monday over Metro Detroit. The pink moon got its name because the April full moon occurs at the same time the pink wildflower phlox blooms in North America.

The National Weather Service is forecasting partly cloudy weather for Monday evening when the moon rises. Moonrise is around 8 p.m. Eastern Time, and the moon reaches perigee (more about that later, too) at around 12:44 a.m. Eastern Time.

Most commercial calendars based on Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT, show the full moon occurring on Tuesday, April. 27, according to NASA. But either way, it's going to be big and bright from Sunday night through Wednesday morning.

Monday's full moon is the first of three consecutive supermoons. The full moons on May 26 and June 24 are also so classified.

Weather for the Week Ahead

Here's a look at the National Weather Service in Detroit forecast for Metro Detroit.

• Monday: Mostly sunny and partly cloudy at night
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, mostly cloudy with scattered showers at night
• Wednesday: Showers likely throughout the day and night
• Thursday: Rain likely, with a chance of rain at night