New ​MDHHS Order Includes Capacity Restrictions, Requires Masks

MICHIGAN — Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon on Friday issued an emergency order restricting gathering sizes, requiring face coverings in public spaces and childcare facilities, placing capacity limitations on stores, bars and other public venues and providing for safer workplaces.

Gordon's order comes under a legal authority enacted by the Michigan Legislature after the Spanish Flu of 1918 specifically to deal with epidemics, according to a news release. That statute was not at issue in the Supreme Court’s ruling last week, officials said.

“Our goal is to maintain policies that have made a drastic difference in the fight against COVID-19,” Gordon said. “Cases are rising, and the science is clear. Masks reduce the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing reduces the spread of COVID-19. Public action is critical to saving Michiganders’ lives.”

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The order completes the major elements of the department’s efforts to align orders under its own authority with actions taken by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the department said.

Compared to a similar order issued by Gordon on Monday, new provisions Friday provide for capacity limits in businesses, masks in childcare centers, added protections for workers and requirements for contact tracing, according to a news release.

The order comes as Michigan on Friday reported 1,095 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the statewide case total to 133,134. It is the third straight day Michigan has reported over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases.

Seven more people died from the coronavirus in Michigan as of Friday morning, according to state health officials. To data, 6,876 people in Michigan have died from the coronavirus.