healthvshospitality

MI Hospital Assoc. & MI Restaurant Assoc. Respond to 12-Day Extension of “Pause” in Michigan

healthvshospitality

Following Gov. Whitmer’s press conference wherein she and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services Director Robert Gordon announced a 12-day extension of the current “pause” that has resulted in truncated gatherings in the state, and the shutdown of indoor dining at bars and restaurants along with the closure of movie theaters, bowling alleys and some other businesses, two state associations with opposing points of view issued their responses to the announcement.

It essentially pits healthcare versus hospitality as the debate over the best path for everyone continues.

The following statement is from Brian Peters, CEO of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association:

“The MHA applauds the actions taken today by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to extend the COVID-19 emergency order. The chief medical officers of Michigan’s hospitals publicly expressed this morning the need to extend protections to preserve the viability of our healthcare system. While hospitalization numbers have started to stabilize, dozens of hospitals throughout the state are reporting critical staffing issues that impact the delivery of care for all patients – not just those needing COVID-19 care. We are thankful that our state’s leadership is responding to data and will continue strategic measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19.

ADVERTISEMENT
Your content continues below

It is still up to all Michiganders to do their part in our state’s response. Honor healthcare workers this holiday season by getting your flu shot and practicing the big three preventive measures: wear a mask, avoid social gatherings and practice proper hand hygiene. We are all in this together.”

Meanwhile, the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, which had sought injunctive relief through the court systems from the original order, issued the following statement from association President & CEO Justin Winslow in response to the extension of the MDHHS Order:

“We aren’t surprised by the governor’s decision to extend Director Gordon’s MDHHS Order today, but we remain exceptionally disappointed. We firmly believe there is a better approach – one followed by 45 other states – that doesn’t use blunt force closure of a single industry to resolve a shared crisis. We maintain that a more nuanced approach that allows for limited indoor capacity with a curfew will result in greater compliance, better health outcomes and substantially reduced economic fallout.

Upon completion of this most recent Order, restaurant dining rooms will have been closed for 118 days, nearly one-third of the calendar year. We already know the impact of another extended shutdown will be significant, as the industry lost over $8 billion in sales and laid off more than 75-percent of its workforce when it was shuttered for an extended period in the spring.

The restaurant industry is comprised of creative and resilient individuals, but for a growing number of them, this latest pause is the cause of their lost livelihood and well-being.”