CLICK TO HEAR GOVERNOR’S COMMENTS FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Monday afternoon that Michigan has come a long way in “flattening the curve” in the battle against the coronavirus, and that she is moving ahead with the slow process of re-opening portions of the state’s economy.
Whitmer unveiled the MI Safe Start program, which will allow economic activity to resume in stages, and by region.
She did not give details on which type of businesses would be allowed to re-open, and she did not give a timetable for how long it will take.
The governor, along with Michigan Recovery Advisory Council members, said that businesses that do re-open will need to have strict hygiene and sanitation standards, that masks and gloves will be common. There will be things like temperature checks and stepped-up testing, and she did that employers will not be able to retaliate against workers who decide on their own to stay home when they’re feeling sick.
The governor said that outdoor workplaces will be the first to re-engage, such as the construction industry. She allowed golf courses and landscaping businesses to re-open last Friday.
Whitmer said that moving forward, there will be a phased-in approach to allow certain categories of businesses to re-open, and if a region sees an up-tick in virus illnesses, “the dial may be turned down a bit”. She reiterated that the main goal is to stop a “second wave” of virus illnesses from coming later this year.
The Upper Peninsula has been placed in Region Eight for both the purposes of returning to work, and tracking coronavirus cases. She said that some areas of the state will be able to re-engage more fully sooner than others. Region One is southeast Michigan, which includes the Detroit area, which has the overwhelming majority of the cases and deaths.
As of Monday afternoon, there were 78 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.P., and 12 deaths. Statewide, there are 38,210 cases, with the smallest daily gain of 432 in more than a month. There have been 3,407 deaths statewide, which is 92 more than Sunday’s report. The good news is that the number of people hospitalized has continued to decline, and as of Saturday, more than eight thousand people had recovered from the virus.
Whitmer also said on Monday that she will be asking the Michigan legislature to extend the State of Emergency for another 28 days. The current declaration expires this Thursday. The govenror extended her “Stay at Home” order through May 15th, and claims that she does not need the legislature’s approval to do so.
Whitmer’s plan to allow certain regions of the state to re-engage the economy sooner than others will likely please Upper Peninsula lawmakers, who have been calling for that approach for weeks. The governor said she would be talking with GOP legislative leaders, specifically Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, later on Monday.
Whitmer sais she would have more information about the first phase of re-opening “in the coming days”.
We will post more information once it’s released by the governor’s office.
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