County Board Urges Governor To Ease Restaurant Restrictions

restaurant-safe-236772-2
restaurant-safe-236772-2

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has approved a resolution calling on Governor Gretchen Whitmer to implement a new, regional approach to restrictions to fight COVID-19. During Thursday’s meeting, Board Chair Mac Elliott said restaurants are hurting too much and it’s been going on for too long at a time when COVID cases are down. They’re still limited to 25% of capacity.

“We have to at least get back to 50% so these businesses can survive, and then take a measured, safe approach to get back up to 100%, hopefully by the time we swing into our official summer tourist season, if not before,” Elliott said.

Commissioner Ezra Scott would go a bit further.

“I am open and want 100% opening,” Scott said. “We were following the CDC guidelines, and our percentages last July were the same as they are right now, and we were 100% open.”

The resolution asks for a regional approach to mitigation rules that takes into account science and safety. Commissioners noted during the meeting almost all of the other states are far less restrictive than Michigan. That includes nearby Indiana, where they said COVID rates aren’t much different.