Upper Peninsula Congressman Jack Bergman took to social media Wednesday night to object to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order that will close many bars in the U.P. and northern lower Michigan at midnight Thursday night. The restrictions also ban any gathering of more than ten people in any indoor space,
The governor, in her executive order announcement, noted that social gatherings and bars have led to COVID-19 outbreaks in downstate Saline, East Lansing, and at Torch Lake, which is located in Bergman’s northern Michigan district.
The new restrictions came at the same time that Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data showed Wednesday that there are no COVID-19 patients in Upper Peninsula hospitals or intensive care units.
State data also showed that just under one percent of the tests in the U.P. have come back positive, and there has been one death reported in the U.P. since May 30.
Whitmer, a Democrat, said in a news conference Tuesday that hospitalizations and deaths are “lagging indicators” of infections, and she urged vigilance. She did not mention any new restrictions in that press conference, but the new executive order was released 28 hours later, at about 6:00 ET Wednesday night.
In her executive order, Whitmer wrote that action is needed now to stop the spread of the virus, to help to prevent a “second wave”, and to make it more likely that schools open in a few weeks time.
Bergman, a Republican, said in a Facebook post that the orders are a “slap in the face directed at small business owners across the First District”. He argues that that the restrictions are “baseless”, and are not backed up by data.
Bergman’s entire Facebook post follows:
The Governor’s soon to be announced orders are a true slap in the face directed at small business owners across the First District. The majority of employers in northern Michigan and the U.P. need to thrive over the next few months to stay afloat this winter. These are businesses and workers who’ve gone the extra mile to comply with the state’s safety guidelines and stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
Instead of leading, Governor Whitmer has used her position over the past several days to complain about draft federal legislation, attack the President, and now bully First District constituents. Not only are these new rules ridiculous, the Governor’s staff didn’t even have the decency to inform anyone from my team of this baseless decision.
There is no data presented that leads one to make the decision to start closing northern Michigan and the U.P. while opening casinos in Detroit.
We’ve had enough of this VP audition here in the First District.
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