LANSING, Mich. – Michigan officials have announced stricter COVID-19 regulations that present large challenges for families and business owners.
Why take these serious steps? Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said science provides the answer for that.
“A leading model shows that if we don’t take aggressive action right now, we could soon see 1,000 deaths per week here in Michigan,” Whitmer said.
There will be an economic impact from another round of closures, but Whitmer said Michigan needs healthy people to get back to a healthy economy.
“Getting this health crisis under control is absolutely essential to getting our economic crisis under control,” Whitmer said. “If our public isn’t healthy, our economy isn’t healthy.”
State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey released a statement that reads, in part:
“We are disappointed that Gov. Whitmer chose to go it alone, again. The Senate Republicans will continue working with our doctors and the medical community on ways we can combat this virus and are ready to work with the Governor when she decides to work as a team to fight this virus.”
Whitmer said she has reached out to the Republican-controlled legislature and is still waiting to hear a plan.
“I think we got to get the politics out of masking up. It’s our best weapon we have against our common enemy,” Whitmer said. “It was dismissed out of hand. After that I asked, ‘What is your plan?’ and there wasn’t one.”