Detroit casinos ordered to close for three weeks

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sunday a "three-week pause" that includes the closure of Detroit casinos as the coronavirus pandemic rages throughout the state.

The restrictions, imposed through a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services order, will take effect Wednesday and be in place until they end on Dec. 8. 

The order issued through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and announced by Whitmer on Sunday night stops all sports except for professional and college sports that take "extraordinary mitigation standards," but eliminates any in-person attendance. It also mandates the closure of dine-in restaurant service, movie theaters and entertainment venues and the halting of in-person learning at high schools and colleges. It also requires employees to work from home when it can be done remotely.

"We are in the worst moment of this pandemic to date," Whitmer said, explaining that some models predict the state is on a path to mark 1,000 COVID-19 deaths a week, as reported by The Detroit Free Press. "The situation has never been more dire. We are at the precipice and we need to take some action because as the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors, the virus will spread, more people will get sick, and there will be more fatalities."

The announcement comes as Michigan marked its worst seven-day stretch yet in the pandemic last week, when 44,019 people were newly diagnosed with the virus and 416 died. The state is now seeing exponential growth that is nearly four times higher than it was during the peak of the virus surge in early April, and hospitals say they are filling up with COVID-19 patients.