Thursday News Hit: Michigan COVID cases tick up, appeals court keeps gyms closed, drinking laws changing

Don't look now, but Michigan's COVID-19 case count is beginning to tick back up. On Wednesday, health officials confirmed 323 more cases of the virus - the largest increase in daily cases since May. If we trace Michigan's footsteps back through the month of June it came with a cratering in new COVID-19 cases and wave of lifted restrictions on Michigan businesses.

After lifting her stay home order June 1, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said bars and restaurants could start serving in-person dining on June 8. The Metro Detroit area received praise for its flattening of the curve on June 12 after the U.S. Surgeon General said he was "really proud of the way you all have responded to the COVID-19 crisis..." A few days after that, hair, massage, and nail services were allowed to reopen on June 15.

There's usually at least a two-week delay between when a policy responding to the coronavirus is enacted and when experts can see the impacts of that policy. Using the same rule in Michigan's case, it's easy to see as the number of new businesses reopening increased, the increase in new COVID-19 cases did follow. The state has reported four straight days of rising COVID-19 cases. 

Is Michigan seeing the tremors of another coronavirus surge? After a brutal April and slightly-less rough May, the state has enjoyed encouraging results as graphs depicting the number of new cases and deaths have continued falling for weeks. It's also important to note the number of deaths has remained relatively stable since bottoming out in early June. Also, it isn't anywhere close to the record-setting COVID-19 cases being added to daily counts in Arizona, Florida, and Texas.

America's patchwork of solutions linked to the virus has led to a smattering of growing and falling coronavirus trends. Each state has implemented its own plans for slowing the virus, with some reopening the state sooner than others. After falling under some of the strictest orders in the country, Michigan's rate of new cases declined faster than most other places. The state has gone from the third most COVID-19 cases to the 16th in the process.

However, it's not just restrictions that were lifted that could be having an influence over Michigan's slight COVID uptick. Mass protests in the face of the police killing of a black man in Minneapolis sparked state and nationwide protests. Thousands of residents cooped up in their homes for months emerged in massive demonstrations where some followed face mask orders, but many did not. Most ignored social distancing rules as well, including the governor herself.

However, Whitmer has also been adamant about sticking to her six-phase reopening plan. Michigan was supposed to enter phase 5 of reopening ahead of the 4 of July holiday. Speaking with FOX 2 on Tuesday, she's not so sure that's a good idea after seeing a minor outbreak in Ingham County. Health officials there have identified at least 25 cases linked to a single restaurant in East Lansing. 

"There are a few blips that we are keeping our eye very close on. My hope was to move the rest of the state into phase 5 by the 4th of July - my hope was to do it this week. We're not going to do it this week," Whitmer told FOX 2's Tim Skubick. "We're not in a position to do that yet, we've got to get more data."

It may feel like there are very few businesses left to reopen, despite the state falling in the 'improving stage', and for the most part that's true. Thursday was supposed to be the day another industry was allowed to reopen its doors - gyms. However, a court of appeals ruling came down three hours before the business suspension was to be lifted, granting the Whitmer another win and keeping gyms closed.

"We sympathize deeply with the business owners and their patrons affected by the governor's order," the panel said. "Crises like COVID-19 can call for quick, decisive measures to save lives. Yet those measures can have extreme costs, costs that often are not borne evenly.

"The decision to impose those costs rests with the political branches of government, in this case, Governor Whitmer."

Prior to the ruling, a federal judge out of Grand Rapids had ordered gyms to be allowed to reopen on June 25. In US District Court Judge Paul Maloney's opinion, he wrote while the state had the right to keep gyms closed at the start of the pandemic, it can't allow other businesses to be open and not have gyms as well.

"But when asked what data, science, or even rationale supports the continued closure of indoor gyms, Defendants presented nothing beyond 'trust us, they’re still dangerous.' From that vague statement and nothing more, the Court cannot create a set of facts that rationally connects the restriction with the legitimate government interest of protecting the public health." 

Whitmer strongly disagreed with the decision and said she would go to an appeals court for a second overruling opinion. At 9 p.m. Wednesday, she got her wish.

Michigan's changing drinking laws

Two bills cleared the legislature on Wednesday that would alter the state's drinking laws, giving bars and restaurants more flexibility for business. Under one bill, establishments would be allowed to sell containers containing beer, wine, and cocktails to go. The other would create social districts within a common area that would allow people more places to consume an alcoholic beverage.

In other words, that means you can walk around certain areas with an open container.

The containers could be delivered as well, however, any cocktails-to-go couldn't be filled prior to making a sale. No straw holes would be allowed in shipping containers either. 

Under the common areas drinking bill, cities and counties can designate social districts with outdoor common areas where people can drink alcohol from nearby restaurants. Drinks must also be served in a container that prominently displays the restaurant's name or logo and cannot be taken to another social district. 

The governor is expected to sign the bills into law.

Daily Forecast

Moderate temperatures for rest of week, but strong Friday night storms could be on their way

New CDC model predicts up to 150,000 American COVID-19 deaths by mid-July

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its latest forecast of expected U.S. coronavirus deaths, predicting that between 130,000 and 150,000 Americans would die of the novel virus by July 18. 

The updated forecast put out by the CDC Wednesday consists of a combination of data from over 20 national models, which also predict an increase in fatalities in several states over the next four weeks, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, which the CDC says will exceed the number of reported deaths of the last month.

The new death toll forecast comes as coronavirus hospitalizations and caseloads have hit new highs in over a half-dozen U.S. states in the past week.