Gov. Whitmer Extends ‘Stay at Home’ Order Through April

During her press conference today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered Michigan residents to stay home until April 30th.

The decision comes as the number of COVID-19 cases reached beyond 20,000 as of Wednesday and the death toll is expected to top 900. Whitmer's first stay-at-home order was implemented March 24th and was expected to expire April 13, 2020.

“Michigan has the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, and we’re still on the upswing. We must continue to do everything we can to slow the spread and protect our families,” said Governor Whitmer. “Data shows that most Michiganders are doing their part by staying home and staying safe. That’s good, but we must keep it up. When we do, we can save lives and shorten the amount of time we’re working through this crisis, which will be good for our families and good for our economy in the long-run. We can also protect critical infrastructure workers like doctors, nurses, grocery store employees, and child care workers. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that people stay home and stay safe.” 

Whitmer also made adjustments to retail store operations  within the state as to occupancy.  She indicated that large stores must limit the number of people in the store at one time to no more than 4 customers for every 1,000 square feet of customer floor space. For smaller stores, they must limit capacity to 25% of the total occupancy limits (including employees) under the fire codes.

The. governor stressed in her statement that this extension doesn't mean that life will go completely back to normal on May 1st. “But based on the data we have right now, this is the appropriate window for an extension. It will take time to safely and responsibly re-open the economy, which is why we will continue to provide critical unemployment support and assistance to our small businesses during this challenging time. We will get through this if we all continue to do our part.”

You can read her full statement here, and check out some tips below for working from home to help you out.