The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reimposing an indoor mask-wearing requirement for all of its employees, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.Starting Monday, all MDHHS employees and contractors will be required to wear a facial mask when inside common areas of…
LANSING – State of Michigan offices became more lively Monday as employees began returning to downtown Lansing.
State employees returned to their offices after nearly 18 months of working remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget did not have an exact figure available Monday afternoon of how many ended their stint as remote workers. Half of the state s more than 50,000 employees worked remotely during the pandemic, including roughly 20,000 workers in downtown Lansing.
State employees are expected to return to their offices gradually, depending on each individual department’s return-to-work plans, according to DTMB.
Michigan passed the 55% vaccination benchmark on May 10, paving the way for businesses to resume in-person work on May 24. Despite the reopening benchmark, the state decided to delay its return-to-work date.
About 26K state workers won t return to the office before July 12
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Thousands of state employees who have been working from home for more than a year won t return to the office any earlier than July 12.
Because the state has reached its 55% vaccination rate goal, many businesses can return to in-person work May 24, Cheryl Schmittdiel, director at the Office of State Employer, confirmed in an email Monday to state employees.
But that May 24 date will not affect state workers, who will hold to a plan that extends remote work through at least July 12 as staff bring workplaces up to the latest CDC and MIOSHA standards, the email said.