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Whitmer orders bars and restaurants to close temporarily due to COVID-19

March 16, 2020

Bars and restaurants will temporarily shut down across Michigan at 3 p.m. today due to the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by novel coronavirus, according to the governor's office.

This comes after a series of actions from Gov. Whitmer, including executive order temporarily closing schools and banning gatherings of more than 250 people.

Ohio similarly closed bars and restaraunts yesterday as Whitmer held a press conference about enforcing the ban on large gatherings and a new price gouging executive order alongside the announcement of growing statewide COVID-19 cases.

"My thoughts today are with the workers and businesses in our food and hospitality industries. It is heartbreaking that an industry built on service to others must be shut down to help protect and keep safe the families they call their customers and friends. In an effort to help them through this difficult and unexpected shutdown, I am asking our partners in the state and federal legislature to look for ways to help alleviate the financial impact of this shutdown," Nessel said. "The Governor’s order was necessary and appropriate in light of the extraordinary circumstances in which we find ourselves and we will be working with our state, county and local law enforcement partners to enforce the order. I am proud of the tens of thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of workers who recognize the gravity of this situation and are responding quickly and without hesitation. We owe them our gratitude and support.”

This is a developing story. In our reporting, we'll focus on verifying information from credible sources. Stay with The State News for more updates on how COVID-19 is affecting the MSU and East Lansing community.

Editor's note: this story was updated at 10:29 a.m. to include Attorney General Dana Nessel's statement.

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