Nearly three months later a number of businesses in Muskegon are open again for business. Monday marked a big day for a number of business owners and organizations along the Lakeshore, as restaurants, bars, libraries and museum opened their doors. Under Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order, businesses will have to comply with social distancing guidelines while, bars and restaurants will for the time being have to operate at 50 percent of normal capacity.
Cindy Larsen is the President of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce. She says, it’s the end of an extremely long and painful 3 months for some local business owners, but others aren’t so lucky.
“Well it’s a nightmare, it’s been a nightmare, and I think it’s also been difficult because people didn’t really understand the business situation,” Larsen said. “They it was an inconvenience (and) it was so much more than (that.) It was a lifechanging event.”
The opening up comes early after Governor Whitmer had originally extended the emergency declaration until June 15 before reversing that decision last week.
Larsen says it’s unclear what kind of financial loss Muskegon will take due to the stay at home order, but is hopeful that tourism this summer will help make some of it back, with the idea that many are looking to travel after staying at home for three months.
And she adds that if there is every a time for Muskegon residents to support locally owned businesses, its now.
