Whitmer administration rescinds restaurant table limit rule she violated at bar

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - On Monday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's administration lifted the rule that banned tables of more than six people, one day after she apologized for violating her administration's own COVID-19 regulation while gathering with friends at an East Lansing bar.

Late Sunday night, Whitmer apologized for violating the state-mandated social distancing guidelines that prevent more than six people from sitting at a table. The Democratic governor said she was at Landshark Bar & Grill in Lansing when tables were pushed together as more people arrived in her party of roughly one dozen people - all fully vaccinated.

The revised gatherings and face mask orders were issued on Monday and are effective on Tuesday, June 1. Issued by the state health department, they no longer include the six-patrons-per-table provision starting at midnight on June 1.

This order had been in place since the reopening of bars and restaurants in February and Whitmer violated while dining out this weekend.

Whitmer issued a statement late Sunday night after photos surfaced online showing her at the table with multiple other people on Saturday.

"Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols," Whitmer said in a statement Sunday. "Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together. Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it. In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize."

Whitmer addressed the issue again during a press conference on Tuesday when her administration announced new protocols to allow people to return to work that drops the mask requirement and social distancing for fully vaccinated people while working in offices.

"It was an honest mistake. I have apologized for it," Whitmer told reporters.

Asked if the Landshark should be fined and, if not, if she would lift fines on other businesses, the governor said the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has "specifically not gone forward and penalized businesses that are trying to do the right thing. It's those that have flouted and put people's safety at risk that are the most concerning."

READ NEXT: Michigan drops social distance, mask requirements for fully vaccinated in the workplace

Republicans in the GOP-led Legislature previously complained that the six-person limit keeps large families from eating together.

Republicans said Whitmer should rescind fines that were levied on businesses. She has come under criticism for waiting to release information about a flight to see her elderly father in Florida, which occurred weeks before two top aides traveled south for spring break as COVID-19 cases soared.

Whitmer had announced last week the planned easing of capacity restrictions on June 1 but had not specified if other changes would be coming in the new order, which was released as expected on Monday.

Last week, Whitmer announced that outdoor capacity limitations would be lifted on June 1 while all indoor capacity and crowd restrictions will be lifted on July 1.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.