Mukkamala, who is past chair of the Michigan State Medical Society and also co-owns restaurants in downtown Flint, had questions of his own:
Who will enforce this? Will restaurant staffers be expected to ask patrons if they’ve gotten the shot? Scientifically it makes perfect sense, Mukkamala said of Whitmer s new order, which follows guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and reflects data showing vaccine recipients are much less likely to contract or get sick when they are exposed to the virus.
“When you look at the people that are ending up in the hospital now, it s 99 percent of them are people that have not been vaccinated.”
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Lansing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s administration announced Friday it will lift mask requirements for fully vaccinated individuals through a new epidemic order that represents a milestone in the state s fight against COVID-19.
The new policy will take effect at 9 a.m. Saturday and follows guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Whitmer s administration also revealed that the broad indoor mask mandate will expire July 1.
The text of the order was not publicly released Friday morning.
But in a video posted on social media, the Democratic governor called the announcement a huge step on the state s path to normalcy. It came 385 days after she first issued an executive order directing residents to wear homemade face coverings.
Starting Saturday morning, Michigan residents who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can mask down.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s health department on Friday followed U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s new guidance that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks and socially distance, even indoors.
A new public health order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services lets vaccinated individuals ditch their masks when going inside workplaces, retail stores and other places of public accommodation.
The mask mandate for fully vaccinated residents ends at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to Whitmer s office. With millions of Michiganders fully vaccinated, we can now safely and confidently take the next step to get back to normal, Whitmer said Friday in a statement.