Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced Thursday that the citywide curfew in Flint will stay in place until May 28th.

The news shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone considering the Stay Home order from Gov Whitmer was extended to the 28th as well. The curfew will continue to be from 9pm to 6am for the city, but there are a few exceptions. Essential workers are obviously exempt from the curfew, along with anyone waiting for mass transit.

Mayor Neeley issued a press release about the extended curfew where he reassured that this was all about public safety.

While some restrictions are slowly loosening, we must continue to be diligent and proactive to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our residents

There was talk that gatherings at parks and house parties in the city sparked the decision, but I wouldn't read too much into that. The fact that the state extended the stay home order through the end of May is a more logical explanation.

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The real question will come if Governor Whitmer decides to extend the statewide stay home order past May 28th. Tensions are already very high in Michigan right now, and it just feels like things will come to a tipping point if that happens. I personally am on the side of science and data, but no amount of data can ignore the impact the shut down is having on our communities.

There is good news coming out of all of this turmoil though thanks to the Mott Foundation. You can read about the new Restart Flint & Genesee grant program aimed at helping African American business owners get their businesses restarted here.

Overall I don't think the curfew has any real impact on businesses in Flint while the stay home order is still in place. Even if the curfew were lifted, there is nothing open to go do anyway. The next two weeks will be very interesting to see how this all plays out.

In the meantime let's celebrate some of the real life heroes working on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic in our area.

 

Celebrating Mid-Michigan Nurses

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