Governor Whitmer has issued multiple executive orders the past couple of weeks regarding Michigan Stay Home – Stay Safe and MI Safe Start: A Plan to Re-engage Michigan’s Economy. While the general restrictions imposed under previous versions of Stay Home – Stay Safe remain in place until June 12, 2020, in accordance with Executive Order 2020-100, some restrictions, both regional and statewide, have recently been relaxed:
Beginning May 22, 2020, and in accordance with Executive Order 2020-92 (later rescinded and replaced by Executive Order 2020-96), restrictions in areas of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula (Regions 6 & 8) were relaxed to permit the following resumed activities (subject to workplace and social distancing requirements):
- Retailers may open.
- Restaurants may open (limited capacity).
- Office work, but only to the extent that such work cannot be performed remotely.
- Social gatherings of up to ten people.
In accordance with Executive Order 2020-96, the following resumed activities were permitted (subject to workplace and social distancing requirements):
- Statewide, social gatherings of up to ten people beginning May 21, 2020.
- Statewide, motor vehicle showrooms by appointment only beginning May 26, 2020.
- Statewide, retailers by appointment only with limited capacity beginning May 26, 2020.
- Statewide, certain non-essential medical, dental, and veterinary procedures beginning May 29, 2020.
The Stay Home – Stay Safe executive orders continue to impose restrictions on municipalities. Broadly, those restrictions include the following:
- Generally, public meetings should still only be held electronically.
- To the extent possible, all municipal employees should still work from home.
- In-person work by municipal employees is permitted when such work is necessary to sustain or protect life, to support those operations necessary to sustain or protect life, to maintain the value of inventory and equipment, care for animals, ensure security, process transactions (including payroll and employee benefits), and facilitate the ability of other workers to work remotely.
- In-person work by municipal employees is permitted to perform necessary government activities including, but not limited to, public transit, trash pickup and disposal (including recycling and composting), activities necessary to manage and oversee elections, operations necessary to enable transactions that support the work of a business’s or operation’s critical infrastructure workers, and the maintenance of safe and sanitary public parks.
- In-person work by municipal employees is permitted when it is necessary to support authorized resumed activities (e.g. certain construction, manufacturing, etc.)