LANSING, Mich. – Michigan is currently in the latter third of a three-week “pause” that shut down indoor dining at restaurants, in-person classes for colleges and high schools, and much more.
As COVID-19 cases remain high, people are wondering if Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will extend the “pause.”
Whitmer said she’s working with Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and other health experts to examine options.
In a press conference Thursday, Whitmer said she is concerned about the amount of Thanksgiving travel and how likely that would impact Michigan hospitals.
“So we really are encouraging people not to travel for Christmas and start figuring out how to use Zoom to stay close,” Whitmer said.
Despite the dire predictions of a sombre holiday season, Whitmer is encouraged by the promise of vaccines that could be available to Michiganders mid-December.
“There is great, great hope on the horizon,” Whitmer said. ”We’ve seen significant progress in vaccine development from Pfizer and even doing some of that work here in Michigan, and Moderna.”
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She said another reason she is holding off on extending the “pause” is that there is seemingly a flattening of the COVID numbers over the past few days.
More information, including the full press conference, can be found here.