FILE - In this Aug. 19, 2020, file photo, provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich. Gov. Whitmer on Wednesday, Sept, 23, 2020, called for Michigan to become "carbon neutral" by 2050 in the fight against climate change, which would require steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and significantly greater use of renewable energy.(Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, File)

By DAVID EGGERT

Associated Press

LANSING — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that movie theaters and other venues can reopen in two weeks after nearly seven months of closure during the coronavirus pandemic, and she lifted a cap so more people can attend funerals and other indoor events.

The governor also issued an order requiring the vast majority of pre-K-12 students to wear masks in classrooms, beginning Oct. 5, and mandating that public and private schools publish information about confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases. She had previously recommended face coverings for K-5 students outside northern Michigan.

Indoor cinemas, performance venues, arcades, bingo halls, bowling centers, indoor climbing facilities and trampoline parks — open in less-populated northern counties — can reopen statewide starting Oct. 9. Whitmer revised a 10-person limit for indoor social gatherings and events in much of Michigan to instead be 20 people per 1,000 square feet at a non-residential venue or 20% of fixed seating capacity, with a maximum of 500 people in the state’s largest venues.

Outdoor gatherings and events, now limited to 100 people in most of the state, can grow at a non-residential venue to 30 people per 1,000 square feet or 30% of seating capacity — up to 1,000 people.

Whitmer, a Democrat who has gradually reopened the economy over many months, said she took some of the most aggressive steps to curb the virus in the spring. The state is faring better than its neighbors — enabling movie theaters and entertainment venues to reopen, she said.

“I know these business owners have made incredible sacrifices during this crisis to protect our families and frontline workers, and my administration will continue working to help them get back on their feet,” she said in a written statement. “We are not out of the woods yet, and we will continue to monitor the effects of these incremental changes.”