All outdoor capacity limits will be lifted in Michigan effective June 1, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday - part of a new approach to reopening that calls for all COVID-19 regulations to lift in the state on July 1.

Under the new order, outdoor events and venues like sports stadiums and concert venues can operate at 100 percent capacity starting June 1. The Traverse City Pit Spitters announced they will start operating games at full capacity with their June 1 game, though their May 31 home opener will still be at the current 20 percent capacity limit. The Detroit Tigers will similarly open up capacity at Comerica Park in June, while colleges including Michigan State University and the University of Michigan announced plans to sell tickets for full stadiums this fall.

Indoor capacity limits will increase to 50 percent as of June 1, such as at gyms and indoor event and concert venues. The news means many graduation ceremonies in the state will be able to take place at increased capacity. The current state curfew will also be lifted from bars and restaurants effective June 1. 

All of the state’s broad COVID-19 restrictions will lift effective July 1, according to Whitmer. Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors until July 1, and businesses can still require customers and workers to wear masks through that date. State health officials released guidelines Thursday recommending that staff and students continue to wear masks regardless of vaccination status for the rest of the school year. 

The updated reopening plan comes on the heels of relaxed guidelines for vaccinated individuals by the CDC and replaces the former MI Vacc to Normal plan, which had tied reopening phases to vaccination levels. “We will be able to sing at church, dance at weddings, cheer at games, hug each other, and laugh together,” Whitmer said Thursday of the updated reopeniong plan. “I know that that is welcome news to so many.”