(WXYZ) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions, including those for long-term care facilities.
All residents at facilities across the state have been offered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and a majority have had their second dose.
The state's new Residential Care Facilities Order goes into effect immediately; it encourages communal dining and group activities for residents and allows indoor and outdoor visitation in all counties, regardless of risk level.
Officials say visitation is allowed as long as the facility has not had a new COVID-19 case in the last 14 days and all indoor visitors ages 13 and older are subject to rapid antigen testing.
Visitors will be required to wear face masks or other PPE when required by the facility at all times. Visitors will also need to maintain six feet from residents.
"We are counting on everyone to help make this work and avoid any steps backward," MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said in a press conference.
Michigan reported 1,569 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 new deaths from the virus on Monday, according to the latest numbers from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
The new numbers represent the totals for both Sunday and Monday. The two-day average of new cases is approximately 784 per day.
That brings the total number of cases in Michigan to 589,150 and the total number of deaths from COVID-19 to 15,534 since the pandemic began nearly a year ago.
Also, there are now 541,258 people who have recovered from the virus, and there are about 42,000 active cases of the virus in Michigan.
