Michigan's new face mask law goes into effect today
No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service.
That's the new rule governing businesses in Michigan that went into effect on Monday. After months of strongly recommending a face cloth be worn when someone goes out, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer how left nothing up to question about where the state stands on face masks.
They are now required in every enclosed space, no matter the business. Residents must also wear them in any outdoor setting where social distancing is not feasible. Anyone caught skirting the rule will be subject to a $500 fine.
The state is teetering on the edge of a second surge of COVID-19 cases since curbing its first wave. While states are reporting upticks in new cases all around the country, its areas like Florida, Texas, and Arizona that reopened earliest now seeing their daily caseloads spike. Florida set a record for daily new cases on Sunday when 15,000 more people tested positive for the virus - more than New York ever reported during its first outbreak.
Michigan’s new face mask law goes into effect Monday
Beginning Monday, the governor's new face mask mandate will be in effect. Anyone entering an enclosed space like grocery stores, barbershops, hair salons, or restaurants, must wear a mask. Same goes for crowded outdoor settings. Violators can be fined $500.
Michigan's first outbreak never exceeded more than 2,000 cases in a single day. Nevertheless, its health care systems were dangerously close to reaching capacity in April. That first wave also put a sizeable dent in the state's economy and employment.
Declining to entertain what a second wave would do to Michigan's economy, Whitmer sought to curb its troubling uptick of new cases with the face mask rule. She also attributed the mandate to a scheduled start for schools in the fall.
"(If) we want to be in a position eight weeks from now where we can get our kids back in the in-person education - this trend can't continue," said Whitmer.
That trend currently features daily case counts as high as what was reported in mid-May. Last week, health officials reported at least 600 cases on three separate days.
Notably, the state's hospitalization and death rates have remained relatively stagnant, an indication that Michigan is still weathering much of new caseloads.