One of Ontario's American neighbours is throwing open its doors after a COVID-19 shutdown.
The state of Michigan lifted many of its COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday morning, the first step toward completely reopening the state's economy.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said residents of the Wolverine State have been working hard to return some sense of normalcy in time for the summer travel and tourism season.
"We have all been working hard for this moment for over the past year, and I am thankful for every Michigander who has gotten vaccinated to keep themselves, their family, and our communities safe," said Whitmer, as quoted in the Detroit Free Press. "Thanks to them, we can take these final steps towards a return to the normalcy and build our economy back stronger than ever."
Detroit television station WXYZ reported that under the new guidelines, capacity limits on all outdoor events have been lifted, as well as at private outdoor gatherings.
All indoor events will be increased to allow 50 per cent capacity, and social gatherings that are held at venues like churches and banquet halls are subject to regulations according to the venue.
For bars and restaurants, any curfews are lifted as of Tuesday, with the usual closing time of 2 a.m. for bars and restaurants that serve alcohol now back in effect. Stores and restaurants that are open 24 hours can now resume those operations.
Mask or face-covering use will still be required for people who have not been fully vaccinated, and private businesses can still require mask use to receive service.
The state said as long as COVID-19 case rates continue to fall and more people get vaccinated, a full reopening will take place on July 1.
Even with Michigan's economy reopening, however, the border between Canada and the United States remains closed to all non-essential or non-emergency traffic. The Canadian government has extended the border closure to at least June 21. Though a report run by Global News last week cited reports that talks to reopen the border were ongoing, the government said the reports were untrue. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that there will be no rush to reopen the border.