DETROIT – Speaking at a press conference Tuesday Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer noted that statewide COVID restrictions are working and the numbers prove it. The press conference centered around the state’s fight against COVID-19.
But that serves as little comfort to the thousands of Michigan restaurant workers desperate to get back on the job.
As of now it is uncertain when restaurants will be able to open again although extended COVID restrictions are set to expire on Dec. 20.
Whitmer believes the state’s stricter COVID-19 rules, which were extended into next week, are successfully slowing the spread of the virus.
“The department issued this order to prevent our hospitals from overwhelming, so that we can protect the brave women and men serving on the front lines of this crisis, so we can protect our small businesses who want to stay open and so we can, of course, slow the spread of COVID-19,” Whitmer said. “The good news is that we are making progress. It is working.”
Whitmer said the state’s number of COVID-19 cases is decreasing, and that the dip correlates with the day the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued its three-week “pause.”
“Simply put, what we’re doing is working,” Whitmer said.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 442,715 as of Tuesday, including 10,935 deaths, state officials report.
Tuesday’s update includes 4,730 new cases and 183 additional deaths, including 71 from a Vital Records review.