Southwest Michigan restaurants are not confident the state will really let them reopen indoor dining on February 1. That’s according to Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber President Arthur Havlicek, who tells WSJM News the chamber’s phone started ringing off the hook when the governor and head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced this week the indoor dining ban was being extended again. Havlicek says restaurants are hurting.
“They have been singled out more so than in any other state in the country here in Michigan,” Havlicek said. “In fact, it’s had the most days of a statewide restaurant dining closure out of any state. It’s one of only two or three states that are still currently in a statewide lockdown.”
Havlicek says not all restaurants can do carry out, and the ones that can don’t make as much revenue as they do when they’re allowed to be fully open. He adds Berrien County restaurants are especially hurt because customers can just head south of the state line to eat out. He hopes the administration will work more with the Legislature.
“What I would like to see is an approach that empowers these industries to adopt the guidelines and health recommendations, because we all agree those are important, but adopt them in a manner than makes sense for their business and their industry. They can do it. They’re doing it in other states, and it needs to happen here.”
Havlicek says if dining in can be done in Indiana, it can be done in Michigan. In the meantime, he says local restaurants are referring to February 1 not as the date of their reopening, but “the latest date” of their reopening.
