A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association’s request for an immediate halt to the Whitmer Administration’s order that closed restaurants and bars to indoor service for three weeks.
Western District Judge Paul Maloney denied the request for a preliminary injunction, saying that the plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed. It’s the same judge that denied an earlier request for an injunction.
“While we are disappointed with today’s ruling, it is important to note what Judge Maloney explicitly acknowledged in his ruling, stating that “Michigan restaurants are at risk of, or have already suffered, irreparable harm under Director Gordon’s EO.”, CEO Justin Winslow sauid. “It is in that vein that we will now transition our efforts to preventing an extension of the MDHHS Order beyond December 8 and call on Director Gordon to provide clear and specific data to justify the sustained closure of restaurants across the state.”
“Presumptions and generalizations will not suffice and should no longer be tolerated given the significant human toll they have wrought from closing restaurants for a second time this year. Moreover, we believe this industry, like any other that has been forced to close, deserves a clear pathway to the full reintegration of their business, with reliable criteria and metrics to be met from Director Gordon to facilitate that reintegration.”
“We have ideas and reasonable solutions to offer and reiterate our willingness to engage in a substantive dialogue with this administration should they wish to do the same.
For his part, Gordon, the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, was pleased with the ruling.
“We are happy that today’s ruling keeps in place measures that will save lives by limiting specific indoor gatherings that greatly increase the risk of COVID-19 spread,” Gordon said in a statement. “The science is settled: public health experts from around the nation and world say these types of actions must be taken to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases. These protocols on specific indoor gatherings, along with wearing face masks, social distancing and frequent handwashing, give Michigan a fact-based approach to slow the spread of COVID-19 so we can return to a strong economy and get back to normal safely as soon as we can.”
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