The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated its epidemic order Friday to allow indoor activities to resume where individuals can remain masked effective Monday, December 21 and continuing through Friday, January 15.

The update will allow in-person learning to resume at high schools and indoor entertainment venues to resume operations, including casinos, bowling centers, and movie theaters where total capacity is capped at 100, concessions are closed, and social distancing requirements are in place. While the updated order would allow Traverse City high schools to resume in-person learning Monday, Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) has already announced that middle and high school students will remain on virtual learning through Tuesday, with the district’s holiday break starting Wednesday.

Indoor dining remains closed at bars and restaurants under the updated order; night clubs, indoor and contact sports (except professional sports), trampoline and water parks, and indoor fitness classes also remain shut down. Residents who can work from home are still required to do so. Indoor residential gatherings remain limited to 10 people and two households. MDHHS continues to urge families to avoid indoor gatherings or to pick a single other household to interact with consistent with department guidelines.

“These past few weeks, Michiganders across the state stepped up and did their part to slow the spread of COVID-19, and because of our collective hard work, we are now able to begin the steps to carefully lift some of the protocols we have in place,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “I am encouraged by the progress we have made since early November, and will continue to monitor the data closely during and after the holidays. One of the most important things Michiganders can do right now is make a plan to get the safe and effective vaccine as soon as it’s available to you. And as always: mask up, practice safe social distancing, and avoid indoor gatherings where COVID-19 can easily spread from person to person. We will eradicate this virus together.”

Previously, MDHHS identified stabilization or declines across three metrics as critical for relaxing protocols. Michigan saw improvements across all three following the “pause” implemented in mid-November

> Hospital capacity dedicated to COVID-19 patients: 13-day decline; current capacity is at 17.3% for beds with COVID-19 patients. Peaked at 20.1% on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
> Overall case rates: 27-day decline; currently at 439 cases per million. Peaked at 739 cases per million on Saturday, Nov. 14.
> Positivity rate: 11-day decline; currently at 10.6% positive tests. Recently peaked at 14.3% on Friday, Dec. 4. 

“Michiganders should be proud: we have made incredible progress over the last month. But we could easily lose that progress and endanger our hospitals again over the next two weeks,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “At Thanksgiving, most Michiganders sacrificed and avoided family get-togethers. We need to do the same thing this holiday season. Then we can re-engage more activities sooner and more safely.”