DETROIT (WXYZ) — During the White House press briefing Dr. Rochelle Walensky reported COVID-linked deaths are on the decline and the number of cases is down 40% nationwide this week compared to last. So she says they are re-evaluating safety precautions.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing when the metrics are better,” says Dr. Walensky
But the wait is over in Michigan. Today the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) dropped its recommendation for wearing masks indoors.
“It does seem a little soon, yeah,” says Marissa Johnson who works at City Bird in Midtown.
Johnson says she interacts with a lot of people every day and masks make her feel safer.
“It would be nice to just like rip it off and be done with it, but I think it’s good to still be like a little bit cautious," says Johnson.
“We’ll continue to adapt as necessary,” says Emily Linn one of the owners of City Bird.
Linn says right now they ask unvaccinated shoppers to wear a mask, but it’s not a firm policy, they do, however, require employees to mask up.
“I have a hunch we’ll probably continue to wear them,” says Linn.
Across the street, Run Detroit with a message "wear a mask even if you’re vaccinated".
“We will probably leave that sign in place for at least a few days until we can just wrap our heads around this,” says Justin Craig the co-owner of Run Detroit.
Craig says the new guidance from the MDHHS will not impact their policies.
"Nothing is really going to change day to day for us,” says Craig.
The MDHHS is still recommending masks for high congregated areas like homeless shelters, healthcare facilities, and long-term living facilities.
