LANSING, Mich. — Employees at bars and restaurants will still need to wear masks until the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) updates its guidelines.
“The next step is getting the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration and MDHHS on the same page,” said Scott Ellis, director of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, in a news release Friday. “MIOSHA needs to update their workplace safety rules that contradict with the new MDHHS order and CDC guidelines.”
With the updated MDHHS order that was released Friday, patrons at bars and restaurants who are seated outside no longer need to wear masks – regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not, according to the MLBA.
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The MLBA says fully-vaccinated patrons can also go maskless indoors now.
“Yesterday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that masks were no longer required for vaccinated individuals in indoor settings, there was a lot of confusion between patrons and hospitality employees,” Ellis said. “However, we are glad the governor didn’t waste time and addressed the issue within 24 hours.”
MLBA says it will now focus its efforts on eliminating social distancing requirements and lifting the curfew on behalf of bars and restaurants in the state.