State orders allow crowds to return to Jackson Field

Outdoor stadiums and sports arenas can now allow up to 20% of their usual capacities under newly loosened restrictions from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. And that means about 1,500 people will likely be able to return to Jackson Field, the home of the Lansing Lugnuts — which kicks off its 2021 baseball season with a home game May 4.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer billed the extra capacity allowances as an “important step toward normalcy,” but she warned that recently rising caseloads indicate the pandemic still isn’t over. She also encouraged all residents to get vaccinated when eligibility expands to everyone on April 5.

Stadiums and arenas must establish and publicly post an infection control plan before they reopen, as well as administer a testing program for athletes before games. Local and state health officials must also be able to review those plans one week before each game.

The Lugnuts already have a comprehensive COVID-19 plan for this year published online, which includes cashless payments, socially distanced seating and increased sanitation. Staff and guests at the ballpark will also be expected to wear face masks at all times on site.

The expanded state order also increases weekly testing for athletes ages 13-19 to safely participate in sports as more school districts across the state return to in-person learning.

Additional changes to state epidemic orders also require residential care facilities to accommodate indoor and outdoor visitation, as long as the facility hasn’t detected a new COVID-19 case in the last 14 days. Visitors will still be required to wear face masks and maintain a social distance. The order also requires residents be kept abreast of new cases.

In related news…

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist visited Ford Field alongside members of Congress this week, which opens as Michigan’s first federal community vaccination site today. Plans call for up to 6,000 doses per day to be administered for eight weeks, immunizing more than 300,000 people.

To date, Michigan has administered more than 3.4 million vaccines, including more than 100,000 in the tri-county Greater Lansing region. State health officials have a set goal of at least 50,000 shots per day with plans to vaccinate 70% of the population “as soon as possible.”

Ford Field will be open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. All eligible residents can sign up to receive a shot. This week, that eligibility criteria expanded to include anyone over 50, as well as ages 16-49 with disabilities or pre-existing conditions, which also includes cigarette smokers.

A virtual town hall designed to answer lingering questions about the vaccine is scheduled from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, March 25. Visit facebook.com/MichiganHHS to watch a live steam.

The state deadline for individual income tax returns has been extended to May 17, in part to give residents extra time to “get their finances in order” amid the pandemic, officials said. Lansing Mayor Andy Schor also extended the income tax filing deadline from April 30 to June 1.

Whitmer also announced that more than 55,000 employees who work in entertainment, recreational and indoor food-service venues will begin receiving grant payments of $793 each this week. The grants are part of the Employee Assistance Grants Program, which was created through a $45 million bipartisan budget appropriation bill signed by Whitmer late last year.