As of Saturday morning, people in Michigan who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer have to wear a mask when they go out in public. That’s after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance last week that waives the rule for the vaccinated.
However, the rules aren’t that cut and dry. Masks are still required for everyone in certain environments – for example, people still have to mask up in courthouses. And private businesses can still determine whether to waive the mask rule or not.
It places businesses in an especially difficult position – if they allow people to go unmasked they put themselves in the position of verifying people’s vaccination status.
The state’s newly revised mask mandate requires that businesses make a “good faith effort” to ensure unvaccinated people wear masks. How they’re meant to do that is still up in the air.
Businesses are dealing with the dilemma in different ways. Meijer and other stores plan to keep their mask requirements as they are, eliminating the risk of clashing with customers.
Others, like Costco and Trader Joe’s, have waived the mask requirement for the vaccinated, but will work on the honor system to ensure unvaccinated people remain masked. The state does require businesses that go this route to post signage outlining the policy.
You can read more on Bridge Michigan.
Independent journalism is essential to a healthy democracy. Make a donation today.
Thank you to the community institutions that support our work:
