Michigan bars and restaurants must now collect names and numbers for COVID contact tracing

Michigan bars and restaurants must now collect names and phone numbers of customers for COVID-19 contact tracing under an extended epidemic order, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced today.

Related: Michigan extends epidemic order, imposes restrictions on indoor gathering sizes

Health officials said these are requirements and the businesses must operate under the rules to protect public health.

The new provision was just one of the extensions of the epidemic order from the MDHHS aimed at helping contain the spread of the virus. Other extensions to the order include no more than 50 people at indoor gatherings without fixed seating, and no more than six people at seated tables at bars, restaurants, and indoor non-residential gatherings.

The announcement from the MDHHS comes as Michigan continues to see a rise in cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

The state says there are currently 12 outbreaks in Michigan associated with bars or restaurants with currently active clusters up to 12 cases. Michigan presently has 172 cases per million people and positivity of tests has increased from about 2% to 5.5%, and both indicators have been increasing for over four weeks.

Source: WXYZ