Michigan Ready To Extend Office Workplace COVID-19 restrictions For 6 Months
With COVID-19 cases rising in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) will be extending their office workplace restrictions for another 6 months. The announcement came while Governor Whitmer was touring an Ypsilanti vaccine clinic on Monday.
Originally, the office workplace restrictions were set to expire on Wednesday, April 14th, but now those restrictions are expected to last in to October of this year. The restrictions limit office use to only when it is absolutely needed. Employees are required to work from home if they are able to do so.
Every week, Michigan.gov posts a list of COVID-19 outbreaks in various business settings, including offices. As of last week, there were 65 COVID-19 outbreaks in office settings around the state. 23 of those outbreaks occurred within the last week while 42 were ongoing outbreaks from previous weeks.
Office settings are considered low risk for coronavirus transmission, but the Whitmer Administration is hoping to use some of its remaining power to keep restrictions in place. The settings that have the highest rate of infection are K-12 schools, assisted living homes, and manufacturing/construction.
Governor Whitmer explained the announcement by saying "But at this juncture, with our high positivity numbers, it's really important that we extend for another six months so that we have the ability to work through what these protocols look like and get people back into the workplace when it's safe to do so with the right protocols".
The announcement is getting blowback from business leaders and various chambers of commerce from around the state.