EAST LANSING, Mich. — An Ingham County emergency order that reduced restaurant capacity to 50 percent or no more than 75 people has been rescinded and replaced with a new one reducing restaurant capacity to 50 percent or no more than 125 people, whichever is less. The emergency order was put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Executive Order 2020-143 already restricts restaurant capacity to 50 percent of normal seating, but it does not impose a limitation. The county’s emergency order directly affects large licensed food service establishments with capacities of more than 250. With the new order (Ingham2020-12), no food service establishment may have more than 125 patrons at one time.
“Since I issued the original emergency order, cases have trended downward,” said Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail. “We’ve had time now for restaurant inspectors to work with our large capacity establishments, and these establishments have had time to adjust. New executive orders with more restaurant safeguards have also been issued. I hope we can loosen capacity restrictions again in the coming weeks, but we could tighten them once again if cases increase.”
State law provides Vail with the authority to issue orders to protect the public health under Section 2453 of the Public Health Code (MCL 333.2453). Those who disregard the order could be subject to a misdemeanor that includes up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $200.
Many options are available for coronavirus testing in the community. People can contact their primary care physician or visit a no-cost testing site. A list is available on the State of Michigan’s website: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirustest [michigan.gov] The health department and Ingham Community Health Centers also host regular testing events. A list can be found at http://hd.ingham.org/Calendar.aspx [hd.ingham.org]
Want to see more local news ? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Appleand Android
and
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
