Reopening Safely in Traverse City
In Traverse City and the surrounding regions, the well-being of residents and guests is top priority. That’s why our region is following local, state, and federal guidelines to ensure safety, health and peace of mind. We are all in this together—and residents and visitors alike need to be vigilant to ensure our community is able to remain open.
Beginning May 22, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a phased reopening plan for the state. The Traverse City region—which includes counties like Grand Traverse, Benzie, Antrim, and Leelanau—will begin opening restaurants, retail shops, and other businesses, following strict safety guidelines.
If you want to know if your favorite local business is open, the best thing to do is call them or check their website/social media!
Below, you’ll find a snapshot of what you can expect when you visit the Traverse City area. While this summer may be different from others you’ve spent up north, we look forward to hosting you safely.
What Is Open
As new business sectors are able to open, we will continue to update this list with the latest changes.
- Hotels
- Restaurants and bars (Click here for information about take out options)
- Wineries, Distilleries and Breweries
- Retail stores
- Golf courses
- Marinas
- Grocery stores
- Other essential businesses
- BATA Bus, Transportation and the Cherry Capital Airport
What TC Is Doing
Each business has their own safety procedures, but here’s an idea of how our hotels and businesses are creating safe environments for staff and customers.
- Implementing “contactless” processes and payments wherever possible
- Requiring frontline staff to wear masks and other PPE as necessary
- Requiring guests to wear masks and other PPE as necessary
- Screening employees for symptoms before every shift
- Enhancing cleaning practices
Downtown Traverse City has added nine hand washing stations downtown to help residents and visitors enjoy downtown safely. You can find the stations between Wellington St. and Maple St. using the map below.
Hotels
- Implementing new cleaning procedures of rooms and commons areas
- Providing sanitation stations throughout the property
- Minimizing guest contact in elevators, lobbies, etc.
Restaurants
- Limiting occupancy to 50% in restaurants, bars, wineries, etc.
- Spacing tables to meet social distancing guidelines
- Continuing take-out and curbside services
Retail
- Limiting occupancy to 25%
- Frequently sanitizing high-traffic areas
- Posting clear signage to encourage social distancing
What You Can Do
Live like a local! We ask all visitors to follow the same guidelines we do here in TC, which means following regulations set forth by the state of Michigan and the CDC, including:
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
- Practice social distancing by staying six feet away from people who aren’t in your household
- Wear a face mask while in indoor public spaces
- Avoid touching your face
- Stay home if you feel sick or have had contact with someone with COVID-19 symptoms. If you have symptoms while traveling, please self-quarantine and seek guidance from the resources below.
