New Executive Orders - Do They Affect Chiropractors?

Earlier today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-92, allowing for the reopening, in two regions of the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan, of retail businesses, office work that cannot be done remotely, and restaurants and bars with limited seating. The regions are Region 6 (Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Crawford, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, and Emmet counties) and Region 8 (the 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula). The partial reopening will take effect on Friday, May 22.

Governor Whitmer also issued Executive Order 2020-91, which expands worker protections as Michigan reengages sectors of the economy. This executive order requires all businesses to adhere to strict safety guidelines to protect their workers, their patrons, and their communities from infection.

Under Executive Order 2020-91, businesses that resume in-person work must, among other things, develop a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan and make it available to employees and customers by June 1, 2020, or within two weeks of resuming in-person activities, whichever is later. The plan must be made available via website, internal network, or by hard copy. The MAC has a Sample Preparedness and Response Plan available in the Virtual Toolkit section of the MAC’s COVID-19 website. This template plan has been updated to encompass EO 2020-91.

Businesses must also provide COVID-19 training to workers that covers, at a minimum, workplace infection-control practices, the proper use of PPE, steps workers must take to notify the business or operation of any symptoms of COVID-19 or a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, and how to report unsafe working conditions.

How Does This Affect Northern Michigan (and Other) Chiropractors?
After examining this order, we believe that nothing changes from our previous recommendations. EO 2020-92 continues to prohibit in-person work that is not “necessary to sustain or protect life” except for the exceptions listed above (retail businesses, office work that cannot be done remotely, and restaurants and bars with limited seating). For more information, see the article entitled “Michigan offers guidance: Doctors may provide needed services beyond serious emergencies” in yesterday’s Virtual Toolkit email.

Disclaimer: The Michigan Association of Chiropractors is a professional association advocating for the rights of chiropractors and their patients across the state of Michigan. We are NOT a state agency or regulatory body. We are merely informing our membership regarding what they are allowed to do during this difficult and confusing time.

The information we provide during this pandemic is derived in conjunction with our governmental relations and legal experts, developed after examination of all official releases of information from the State of Michigan and in consultation with said experts and representatives from state government. Please refer to our emails and website for the latest information, free from speculation and the rumors currently circulating in the wake of official state actions.

Rest assured that we will continue to advocate for the profession at the highest levels, with the health and well-being of you and your patients, as well as the overall stability of the health care system, foremost in our efforts.