PORTAGE, MI — Crystal Car Wash in Portage has allegedly been operating during the coronavirus pandemic, in violation of an executive order from Michigan’s governor, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office sent a cease and desist notice to the car wash, located at 8387 Portage Road, on Friday, April 3. The notice, also signed by Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting, states that car washes do not employ critical infrastructure workers and in-person operations should be closed pursuant to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order, 2020-21, also known as the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order.
Related: All Michigan residents, most businesses ordered to stay home to slow spread of coronavirus
Executive Order 2020-21 prohibits any person or entity from operating a business or conducting operations that require workers to leave their homes or places of residence, except to the extent those workers are necessary to sustain or protect life or to conduct basic minimum operations, the letter states.
“Despite this clear guidance, your car wash is still open and is maintaining on-site operations in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-21,” the letter states. The attorney general’s office, in cooperation with the Kalamazoo County prosecutor, requested the business “take immediate action to ensure that your car wash is closed in compliance with the Governor’s Order.”
The car wash at 8387 Portage Road was open for business on the afternoon of April 3, according to an employee who answered the phone. The employee declined to comment and said all questions should be referred to a manager. A manager or owner was not immediately available to comment, the employee said Friday.
Failure to voluntarily comply with the request that the car wash close will result in the complaints being forwarded to local law enforcement agencies for enforcement action, the letter states.
The governor’s order is to be “construed broadly to prohibit in-person work that is not necessary to sustain or protect life," according to the letter.
The governor’s order threatens a misdemeanor charge, which entails a $500 fine and 90 days in jail if convicted. Michigan’s state health department this week added additional civil penalties up to $1,000 and potential business license violations to the list of possible punishments for disobeying the stay-at-home order and others issued to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Local police departments were charged with enforcing the order, and people who wish to report a violation are encouraged to call local police tip lines instead of 911.
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