Paula Gardner

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are growing, but the state’s bar and restaurant industry says its dining rooms are unfairly shut down. Layoffs continue, and many warn of more closures.

The restaurant industry warns that 250,000 employees could be laid off under new COVID-19 restrictions. A judge denied a request for an injunction, but the trade group’s suit seeking to overturn the measure continues.

Frustrations are mounting because Michigan’s restrictions don’t set goals for case counts. That’s prompted some leaders to fear the three-week ‘pause’ could stretch for many more weeks.

In a Q&A, the head of a licensed beverage industry group said the state’s three-week ban on indoor service is not justified by where outbreaks are happening and will devastate businesses and laid-off workers if relief doesn’t come soon.

Not all stores in Michigan reopened or closed. Some are stuck in limbo, like this one, just outside Detroit, where the owner is still hopeful about reopening, when it’s safe.

Recreational activity skyrocketed in Michigan through spring and summer. Now the state’s snowsports businesses hope they’ll get a similar burst of sales.

State health officials will be inspecting offices across the state for masks, social distancing and other compliance. Fines of $7,000 are possible if they find violations.

The drug giant’s campus in Portage is the epicenter for one of several vaccines being developed as the world watches coronavirus cases climb once more.