CLICK BELOW TO HEAR GOVERNOR WHITMER’S OPENING STATEMENT
Governor Gretchen Whitmer says the coronavirus is spreading out of control across Michigan, with the rising number of cases now overwhelming the system of testing and contact tracing.
In a Thursday afternoon news conference, Whitmer pleaded with Michigan residents to avoid holiday gatherings and to wear a mask.
She also addressed the start of the firearms deer hunting season this weekend, saying that people should not go to camp with people they don’t share a household with.
“I know that there are hunters across Michigan who are going to partake in this,” Whitmer said. “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should do it. If you’re outside and you’re spread apart, you can be safe and do that. But if you’re all hopping in a car to drive out to camp, in a small place where you spend the night, you’ve got to count up how many households are there. If there’s people from different households, that’s a recipe for spread. No one wants to spread this disease to their loved ones. No one.”
Whitmer suggested that everyone drive separately to their hunting location, and to not stay the night with people they don’t already live with.
“It’s just not safe to do that right now,” Whitmer said. “We are overwhelmed. We cannot turn tests around fast enough. We don’t have enough contact tracers because there’s just so much spread. And so we’ve got to have additional strategies.”
Whitmer was asked repeatedly if those strategies include another stay-at-home order, and/or business closures. She did not directly answer the question, saying that she is working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on the next steps. Whitmer is unable to issue orders the same way she did in the spring because the Michigan Supreme Court declared those orders unconstitutional, and a new State of Emergency would require approval from the Michigan Legislature, which is run by Republicans.
Whitmer says she has had no movement from the legislature on moving forward in the fight against the virus. In fact, she urged members of the media to talk to lawmakers because she hasn’t received a response. The House and Senate are currently in recess. Whitmer has relied on the health department to issue her epidemic orders since the Oct. 2 court ruling.
“The most important thing that we want to project today is that the trajectory that we are on is dire, and it is very serious,” the governor said. “We are watching the numbers very carefully. We are having on-going discussions on what next actions we might take.”
In her press conference, Whitmer also said that Thanksgiving “will look a lot different this year”. She again said that there should be no dinners or parties with extended groups of friends and/or family members.
“The more people we have in our homes, talking, eating, drinking, hugging, yelling at the Lions,” Whitmer said, “the higher the risk of catching or spreading this virus.”
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR WHITMER ANSWER REPORTERS QUESTIONS
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