Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer
issued an executive order on
Monday morning closing all
Michigan restaurants, bars and
entertainment
venues
in
an
effort to slow the spread of the
novel coronavirus. The order
goes into effect at 3 p.m. on
Monday and the restrictions
will last until March 30.
The restrictions apply to bars,
restaurants, coffee shops, movie
theaters, clubs, gyms, recreation
centers,
spas
and
casinos,
among other places of public
accommodation.
According to a press release,
the
order
allows
dining
establishments
to
continue
providing delivery services and
offering takeout, but restaurants
may only let five people inside at
a time to retrieve their orders.
Customers
must
maintain
six feet of distance between
themselves, in accordance with
social distancing protocols from
public health authorities.
In
a
statement,
Whitmer
urged Michiganders to act with
caution when they go into public
spaces.
“This disease is a challenge
unlike any we’ve experienced
in
our
lifetimes,”
Whitmer
said. “Fighting it will cause
significant
but
temporary
changes to our daily lives. By
practicing social distancing and
taking aggressive action now,
the state is working to mitigate
the spread of coronavirus so
we reduce the risk that our
health care system becomes
overwhelmed. This is about
saving lives. Michiganders are
tough and we are going to get
through this, but it will require
everyone doing their part. That
means making smart choices and
not putting yourself or others at
risk by going out in public unless
it is absolutely necessary.”
Social distancing refers to
people maintaining six feet of
space between one another and
avoiding being in situations of
close proximity to others as
much as possible.
In the press release, Joneigh
S. Khaldun, Michigan’s chief
medical executive and chief
deputy director for health at the
Michigan Department of Health
and Human Services, said this
was an important step to protect
people
from
the
spread
of
coronavirus.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Whitmer orders all restaurants, bars to close
temporarily to slow spread of coronavirus
Executive order goes
into action at 3 p.m.
Monday, follows suit
of several other states,
expected to last for
next two weeks at least
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Following an announcement from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, local restaurants move to carry-out-only service.
LIAT WEINSTEIN
Daily News Editor
See RESTAURANTS, Page 3
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 85
©2020 The Michigan Daily
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A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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ANN ARBOR
Minutes before the March
16 Ann Arbor City Council
meeting, Mayor Christopher
Taylor declared a local state
of emergency regarding the
current COVID-19 situation.
Beginning March 17, all city
of Ann Arbor buildings and
non-critical services will be
closed until April 5.
According to Taylor, trash
and recycling pickup, drinking
water, waste water, police and
fire services will be continued.
City Council addresses
COVID-19 concerns
FRANCESCA DUONG
Daily Staff Reporter
Mayor calls
on residents
to stay home
‘U’ libraries, dining halls to shut down
VP of Student Life, UHS director urge students to return home if circumstances allow
Shortly after Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer
issued
an
executive
order to close all restaurants, bars
and entertainment venues in the
state on Monday, the University
of Michigan closed libraries and
moved dining halls to take-out
only meals as fears about the
spread of coronavirus continue
to grow. The closure went into
effect at 3 p.m. and will affect all
Michigan Dining locations and
University libraries.
In a message on the University
Library’s
Twitter
account,
University officials announced
that libraries would close at 3 p.m.
but assured students, faculty and
staff that most library resources
would remain available online.
A separate post on the Michigan
Dining Twitter account notified
students that beginning Monday
night, dining halls across campus
will not offer seating and will
only serve takeout meals. Though
residential halls remain open,
University
officials
continue
to encourage students to leave
campus if they are able to in order
to promote responsible social
distancing.
Social
distancing
includes
limiting
large
gatherings
of
people, maintaining a distance of
six feet in between one another
and staying home as often as
possible.
In a press release, Whitmer
said closing public spaces and
disrupting
daily
routines
is
necessary in order to combat
the virus and slow its spread.
Whitmer highlighted the need
for people to make individual
sacrifices that contribute to these
efforts.
“This is about saving lives,”
Whitmer
said.
“Michiganders
are tough and we are going to get
through this, but it will require
everyone doing their part. That
means making smart choices and
not putting yourself or others at
risk by going out in public unless it
is absolutely necessary.”
See COVID-19, Page 3
LEAH GRAHAM
Managing News Editor
See LIBRARY, Page 3
ALEC COHEN/Daily
As of 3 p.m. Monday, all libraries and dining halls will halt normal operation.