Michigan rescinding mask mandate for most state employees

Michigan is rolling back its rule requiring state employees to wear masks while working indoors, according to a letter issued to all state employees Monday. 

The letter from Liza Estlund Olson, head of the State Office of the Employer, indicates most people working in "standard office and outdoor settings" can ditch their masks starting Thursday. 

The decision comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health officials drastically changed guidance on masking amid improving COVID-19 trends. 

"As recovery from the latest COVID-19 surge continues, public-health officials have updated guidance. Based on this latest guidance, masking protocols for state employees are being updated," Estlund Olson wrote.

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"More changes to policies may be coming in the following weeks. We look forward to seeing more of the smiles of our coworkers as we continue with our work."

The guidance noted any employee who is "at elevated risk" or would "feel better protected" can still wear a mask. Masking may still be required at prisons, hospitals and other similar settings. She also said specific agencies may create "additional policies to address specific operational needs" that may pertain to nonemployees, various working locations and quarantine guidance.

"Local health departments and organizations may adopt other masking requirements to be followed," the letter states. 

"State masking requirements may be updated in the future as conditions evolve."

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On Friday, the CDC published new metrics for tracking the pandemic that suggested approximately 70% of U.S. residents no longer need to wear masks. That came one week after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services removed broad guidance urging indoor masking across the state, including for students in schools.

"We are no longer in a place where we're talking about eradication or elimination of COVID-19," Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, an epidemiologist, infectious disease doctor and the state's chief medical officer, recently told the Free Press.

"What we're talking about is control of this pandemic and finding ways to live without this virus causing severe morbidity and mortality and shutting down our society."

Michigan has not had any broad mask mandate in effect for months. But critics of Whitmer and broader pandemic regulations have both heralded decisions to remove mask requirements or recommendations and blasted health officials for not doing so sooner.

Advocates for people who are immunocompromised or otherwise particularly vulnerable argue the national trend away from pandemic restrictions is not taking their needs into account. 

Michigan's COVID-19 case rates, hospitalizations, test positivity rates and deaths are all headed in a positive direction. Since the end of January: 

• The seven-day case rate plummeted from 10,685 to less than 1,300.
• The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 dipped from 3,651 to 1,461.
• The seven-day death rate declined from 88 to 58.
• The seven-day test positivity rate dropped from about 25% to about 8%.

Vaccinating Michigan:Tracking the progress of the state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout

The state is still encouraging everyone who is eligible get vaccinated and get a vaccine booster. 

Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.