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Governor Gretchen Whitmer has a message for Michigan residents: if you want restrictions loosened any time soon, then obey the Stay at Home Order.
The governor made another plea to those who oppose her orders during a Monday afternoon news conference in Lansing.
“The only way we can get through this is together,” Whitmer said. “To all of the people who have disagreed with the actions I have taken, and feel that their rights are being infringed, I say this: we are taking a limited action, for a limited amount of time, to save people’s lives.”
Right now, that “limited time” is until April 30th when her Stay at Home Order expires. The governor signaled that the order will need to be extended beyond that, as she said that going back to normal will be a slow, involved process.
“To those who are hopeful that we’ll be able to start loosening restrictions, stay home now, to better make the odds that we’ll be able to do that in ten days,” Whitmer said. “To those of you who want to get back to work as soon as possible, stay home. To those of you who have made plans for June, July, or August, and want to see them through: stay home.”
The governor says that right now, saving lives is more important than individual freedoms to which Americans have grown accustomed.
“Who among us wants to be that person who unwittingly brings this virus into their household?” Whitner asked. “Who in this great state actually believes that they care more about jet-skiing than saving the lives of the elderly or the vulnerable? This action isn’t about our individual right to gather. It’s about our parents’ right to live. President Trump said that this is a war, and that is exactly what it is. So let’s start acting like it.”
She noted that during World War II, people didn’t line up at the Capitol to protest what they were being asked to do, such as building things for the war effort.
Earlier on Monday, House Republicans announced their proposals to allow certain sections of Michigan to reopen sooner than others based on risk of the coronavirus.
“Protecting people from the virus remains our top priority as we begin to reopen our economy. A regional approach prioritizing safety – based on the prevalence and risks of coronavirus – is the cornerstone of our proposal,” wrote House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering). “People are worried about their health first and foremost. And they’re also worried about making ends meet and supporting their families as more than 1 million Michigan residents have lost their jobs in the past month. We support a plan to look at who can work safely without threatening their own health or the health of others. Safety is the key – not some confusing debate about what’s ‘essential’ or ‘non-essential.”
Western Upper Peninsula state representative Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) supports the House plan laid out on Monday.
“I know the governor is in a difficult position, and I appreciate her efforts to protect people from COVID-19,” Markkanen said. “Unfortunately, some of her executive orders have been overly restrictive and prevented people from working and providing for their families – even when they could do so safely. It’s time to stop issuing one-size-fits-all restrictions and start taking a regional, safety-focused approach. Metro Detroit has been hit hardest by the virus, and I think we can all agree that it makes sense for people there to take stricter precautions for longer than families in the Upper Peninsula.”
Under the GOP plan, a task force – including the chief medical officer and other representatives from Gov. Whitmer’s administration, the Legislature and outside groups – would place counties into one of three tiers based on coronavirus activity and other factors such as hospitalization rates and capacity.
Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties – which have the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in the state – would be in the tier with strictest restrictions. Other counties would be placed in tiers with fewer restrictions.
The same task force would help determine which jobs and activities could be resumed safely, starting from the premise of federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines, which in some cases are not as restrictive as the prohibitions now in place in Michigan. The task force would make frequent recommendations to the governor to reflect changes in coronavirus activity.
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