Wren Marietti, 5, works on a sidewalk chalk picture with the message “Be Safe” outside of her home in Ishpeming on Saturday. She also left a bag of chalk outside for passersby to put up some of their own artwork. (Journal photo by Justin Marietti)

MARQUETTE — The Peter White Public Library will remain closed to the public under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-59. It continues to suspend PWPL’s ability to offer services until after May 15.

Curbside pickup of nonessential goods, as outlined in the order, does not apply to libraries, which are listed as government institutions in the order. Only basic operations, such as payroll and building maintenance, are permitted, officials said.

Library staff is working on a plan to reopen, which will be announced in the coming days.

Restroom facilities to close

Restrooms at five additional Michigan Welcome Centers will be closed through May 10 as a result of the layoff of Michigan Department of Transportation employees who clean and sanitize these facilities.

MDOT announced that restrooms at Sault Ste. Marie, Monroe, Coldwater, New Buffalo and Detroit welcome centers will be closed to the public.

During the closures, ramps and parking lots will be closed as well due to security and sanitary concerns, with the exception of the Detroit Welcome Center, which has a shared parking lot.

These restrooms are expected to reopen on May 11.

Restrooms at the Marquette, Ironwood, St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, Dundee, Clare and Port Huron welcome centers will remain open since private contractors provide restroom maintenance at these facilities.

Two other Welcome Center facility restrooms already had been closed. The Menominee facility was closed due to lack of separation between the restrooms and the information lobby while the Iron Mountain restroom shares space in a closed facility.

Most of Michigan’s other 63 rest areas remain open, with the exception of five that are closed seasonally: St. Ignace, Topinabee, Hebron, Ludington and Hart. The Chelsea location is not open because of drainage issues.

MDOT’s roadside parks, which are closed seasonally, remain closed.

In accordance with Whitmer’s and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, MDOT closed the information lobbies of all Michigan Welcome Centers as of March 13 until further notice.

Nessel comments on face coverings

Although Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-59 requires employers to provide appropriate face coverings to all their onsite employees, appropriate face coverings remain in high demand and short supply.

So, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, after being alerted to the problem, issued a statement that acknowledged the difficulty some businesses are having, given the limited supply.

“Therefore, I am asking our law enforcement partners around the state to consider the good-faith efforts of businesses that have tried, but have been unsuccessful, in obtaining appropriate face coverings when deciding whether to take criminal enforcement action against a non-compliant business,” Nessel said. “While businesses work diligently to find appropriate face coverings to meet the requirements of the executive order, I urge employees that can safely do so to use their own face coverings as protection until businesses provide face coverings as required by the governor’s order.”