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Dine-In Resumes Feb. 1, Group Exercise And Non-Contact Sports Back Thursday

(CBS DETROIT) - Bars and restaurants will soon be welcoming patrons back.

Wednesday Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that in-door dining could resume Feb. 1.

"Our restaurant owners have made considerable sacrifices over the past ten months to keep communities safe and to save lives; and it's no question it's been hard. For the owners, for the employees, I know that it has not been easy," she said.

Last November state health regulators banned restaurants from allowing customers to dine-in to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The order was set to expire Friday, but was extended to continue to follow COVID case trends.

"The restaurant industry across the country, around the globe frankly, is struggling because we know that places where people are mixing households, taking off their mask and dinning inside is inherently where we see spreads," she said.

Governor Whitmer says if cases remain on a downward curve then dining rooms could re-open with capacity restrictions, mask requirements and curfews.

"And I'll keep you updated on Michigan's numbers, whether we remain on track to resume this dinning on Feb. 1 which is all of our greatest hope," said Whitmer.

The new extension also gives the green-light to indoor group exercise and non-contact sports.

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