LANSING, MI (WTVB) — While giving no new details on business reopening dates in the state at her press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Governor Gretchen Whitmer urged Michigan residents to take care of each other during the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor said residents should get out and donate supplies to local medical facilities, or donate to food banks. She encouraged Michigan residents to reach out if they feel they are struggling.
Whitmer mentioned that the state will be taking part in the Work Share program, which will impact over 31,000 state employees and is expected to save up to $80 million in decreased wage costs.
Governor Whitmer said Michigan is in the third phase of the Michigan Safe Start program. She said a sharp decrease in deaths, contact tracing and increased hospital capacity will be some of the factors that will come into play when deciding to move to phase four of the program.
The governor explained that there is no set number to determine what sectors can open when.
During her press conference, the governor said without the stay-home order, there would have been 32,000 more positive cases and 3,480 deaths along with an overwhelmed healthcare system.
In regards to a stay-home extension, she said she will continue to make decisions based on data and guidance from epidemiologists, as well as the amount of PPE the state has.
With another protest expected to take place at the State Capitol Thursday, the governor said she would rather not see people congregate together, but asked residents to prioritize their health and the health of others when it comes to protesting.
MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun also provided an update during the press conference. She said local health departments are analyzing “COVID-19 Clusters” throughout the state.
She said the state is continuing to focus on the elder population, monitoring nursing care facilities in the state. She said nursing home cases represent about 6% of the total cases in the state.
