St. Clair Today

Michigan residents are being asked to mask up and limit indoor crowd sizes amid of surge of COVID-19 cases, but another stay-at-home order won't be forthcoming, the director of the Michigan Departments of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said recently.

The state has come a long way from the time a stay-at-home order was issued in March over lower coronavirus numbers than those that are being reported now, MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said, according to Bridge Michigan.

"We know so much more than we did in March," Gordon told Bridge Michigan. "We know about the power of masks, and that enables people to engage in a range of activities that weren’t possible then. So I do think we are better positioned by the science and the experience to live more fully in a way that we couldn't in March."

Robert Gordon, Director MDHHS | Michigan.gov

Michigan's first stay-at-home order, Executive Order 2020-21, was issued March 23 after more than 1,200 cases had been confirmed in the state.

"In just 13 days, we’ve gone from 0 to over 1,000 COVID-19 cases," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said March 23, according to Michigan.gov. "This is an unprecedented crisis that requires all of us working together to protect our families and our communities. The most effective way we can slow down the virus is to stay home. I know this will be hard, but it will be temporary. If we all come together, get serious and do our part by staying home, we can stay safe and save lives."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost 230,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state, of which over 7,700 have died, according to Michigan.gov.

Part of the reported surge can be explained by increased testing, something that was difficult to get in March, according to Bridge Michigan.

Nonetheless, Gordon issued a mask mandate on Oct. 5 and late last month issued a Gathering Prohibition and Face Covering Order that limited indoor crowd event sizes to 50 people, far less than a previous order's 500-person limit.

Gordon told reporters that his new order is intent on minimizing "particular risks" inherent in indoor gatherings -- such as at bars, restaurants and weddings -- where attendees are prone to "moving around, chatting, dancing, eating and drinking without masks on," according to Bridge Michigan. "The more people who are there, the greater the risk that someone has COVID, and the greater the number of people that can be infected."