The MRLA opposes the new requirement by the MDHHS that all restaurants and bars collect contact information from patrons to assist in contact tracing. | Pixabay
The MRLA opposes the new requirement by the MDHHS that all restaurants and bars collect contact information from patrons to assist in contact tracing. | Pixabay
The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) claims the state’s new contact-tracing mandate for COVID-19 will do more harm than good.
“In relation to the size and scope of the industry, which serves millions of people every day and employs several hundred thousand more, this well-intended effort is more likely to result in job loss, foreclosure and fewer restaurants than it will prevent transmission,” MRLA President and CEO Justin Winslow said, according to MRLA’s website.
The mandate requires bars and restaurants to gather the names and contact information of patrons, in case contact tracing is needed in the future, according to the Michigan.gov. It is part of a revised and extended government epidemic order issued on Oct. 29 to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
“We appreciate and respect the efforts of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to keep all Michiganders safe,” Winslow said, according to the MRLA website. “We maintain, however, that a restaurant-industry-specific contact tracing mandate lacks merit given existing science and data.”
According to Winslow, restaurant dining only represents 2% of coronavirus cases being investigated by MDHHS.
Alerts Sign-up