The story was refreshed on Friday morning and will be continuously updated as additional information becomes accessible.
MotorCity Casino Hotel & Sportsbook in Michigan is ending its mask mandate for vaccinated guests this week, as COVID-19 cases decline.
MotorCity Casino became the first of the three Detroit retail casinos to reinstate the mask policy in November of last year.
On Thursday, both MGM Grand Detroit Casino & Sportsbook and Greektown Casino-Hotel & Sportsbook Lounge joined in.
MotorCity Casino ends mask mandate at 8 a.m. Thursday
Starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17, MotorCity Casino’s website states that guests who have been fully vaccinated will no longer be obligated to wear masks.
Guests who have not completed vaccination will still be expected to wear masks. It is unclear whether proof of vaccination will be necessary, as Playinmichigan has not promptly responded to requests for clarification.
Starting from now, vaccinated guests will no longer be required to wear masks, bringing an end to the mask mandate that has been in effect since November. However, MotorCity Casino will continue to implement social distancing measures and enhance their cleaning protocols.
MGM Grand, Greektown lift mandate Thursday
On Thursday morning, MGM Grand Detroit took to Twitter to announce that it was lifting the requirement for vaccinated guests as well.
UPDATE: MASK POLICY: Guests who have been vaccinated are no longer obliged to wear masks. Although we will not enforce proof of vaccination, we kindly request that guests who have not completed their vaccination continue wearing masks throughout their visit.
Later in the day, an update was posted by Greektown Casino.
Updated Mask Policy: Effective immediately, vaccinated guests are no longer mandated to wear masks during their visit. However, guests who have not received full vaccination against COVID-19 must continue wearing masks. We sincerely thank you for playing your part in ensuring a secure environment at Greektown Casino-Hotel.
New COVID cases down significantly
The recent decline in new COVID-19 cases is the reason behind the change in mask policy.
On November 23, a cumulative count of 8,502 fresh cases was documented when the mask mandate was implemented.
According to the most recent update from the Michigan Health Department, there was an average of 1,793 new cases reported between Saturday and Monday (February 12th-14th).
This is a significant drop from the highest point of 20,346 new cases recorded on January 6th of the current year.
For the first time since late September, Michigan has recorded a 7-day average of new cases below 3,000.
In Wayne County, the current 7-day average of new cases stands at 262, reflecting a significant decline from the previous week’s tally of 714.
