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Dear Michigander,
We’ve hit the ground running this new year. As we ramp up COVID-19 vaccination efforts, work to administer financial relief to Michigan small businesses and workers, and support our teachers, students, and schools, we are continuing to keep our families safe. As we continue working to distribute the safe and effective vaccine and save lives, I will remain laser-focused on the issues that matter most to Michiganders.
And that starts with eliminating COVID-19 once and for all. The more people we can get the safe and effective vaccine, the faster we can return to a sense of normalcy. I urge all those who are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible and all Michiganders to make a plan to get vaccinated when it becomes available to you. And as always: mask up, practice safe social distancing, and avoid indoor gatherings where COVID-19 can easily spread from person to person. We will get through this together.
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As of Monday, our state is moving forward with the next phase of vaccinations. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is progressing with vaccination of Michiganders age 65 and older; frontline essential workers including police officers, first responders, frontline state and federal workers and jail and prison staff; and preK-12 teachers and childcare providers.
 I urge Michigan seniors to visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine to find their local health department and other local vaccine clinics that are ready to book appointments. Eligible essential workers, teachers, and childcare workers will be notified by their employers about vaccine clinic dates and locations. Eligible individuals should not go to any of the clinics without an appointment. It is important to note that there are limited vaccines available in the state, and so there will be limited appointments available. As more vaccine doses become available, the state will be able to move more quickly through the priority groups.
The efforts we have made together to protect our families, frontline workers and small business owners are working. While there has been a slight uptick in our percent positivity rate, our cases per million have plateaued, and more hospital beds are becoming available. With that, MDHHS is lifting some of the protocols that were previously in place and has issued an updated Epidemic Order.
The order continues our gradual reopening by allowing indoor fitness classes and non-contact sports, provided participants are masked and physically distanced. This will allow young people back at school to engage in individualized conditioning and practice and will also allow group fitness classes like yoga and dance to reopen. In all these cases, this will support the physical and mental health of young people and adults, provided that they are still taking critical precautions. The new order is effective Saturday, January 16 and will last until Sunday, January 31. For more details, visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirus.
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I am proud to announce that applications will open tomorrow for the Employee Assistance Grants that I signed into law on December 30. This grant program puts dollars in the pockets of Michiganders who work in hospitality, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services sectors -- as well as the gym and fitness sectors. This grant program helps offset some of the financial losses workers may have incurred due to a furlough, layoff or job loss, or a reduction of hours. Eligible individuals can apply for one-time grants of up to $1650.
The application period will open tomorrow January 15, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. and will be available until January 25, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Eligible Michiganders can apply here: https://www.mrlaef.org/money. Applications will be processed through February, and payments will be issued in March.
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Our bar and restaurant owners have made incredible sacrifices over the past 10 months to keep their communities safe and slow the spread of COVID-19. I want to thank those who have enacted strict safety protocols and worked around the clock to save lives. I recognize the great hardship to restaurants and bars right now, and it is important that both the most recent state budget agreement and the most recent federal legislation have provided relief for restaurant employees and owners. We are hopeful that Congress will send additional relief soon. But we also know that restaurant and bar owners and staff want to be back at work. The plan is to open indoor dining with capacity limits and a curfew on February 1, but timing will depend on data continuing to stabilize. Additional details on the reopening pathway are expected next week.
Thus far, more than 230,000 Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the State of Michigan. While every dose administered is progress, it is critical that the federal government send our state the vaccine doses we need to adequately protect our families. According to publicly reported information, upwards of 50% of currently produced vaccines had been held back by the Trump administration for reasons unknown. Last week I led a multistate effort asking the federal government to release these vaccines. This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced they would be doing just that. This is great news for our families, frontline workers, seniors, and all those waiting to receive their vaccine.
I also wrote a letter to Secretary Azar requesting that the federal government allow the State of Michigan to directly purchase up to 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer to allow us to further ramp up our vaccination efforts. I will continue to fight for our fair share of vaccines so that we can eliminate the COVID-19 virus once and for all.
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Download the MI COVID Alert app today!
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