Restaurant Association: Patron Contact Tracing Mandate Means Closures, Lost Jobs For No Gain

The head of the organization that lobbies on behalf of Michigan's restaurants and hotels says the latest state government epidemic order will bring more closed restaurants, more lost jobs and more foreclosures than it will prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

According to Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association CEO Justin Winslow, the mandate announced Thursday requiring dine-in food establishments to collect the names and cell phone numbers of all patrons for later contact tracing will put restaurants out of business.

Winslow said in a press release that data collected by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services links restaurants to just three out of 144 "outbreaks" reported recently across the state, or 2%.

He said the state mandate “is more likely to result in job loss, foreclosure and fewer restaurants than it will prevent transmission.”