In a statewide address Friday (4/9), Governor Gretchen Whitmer says it's time for Michiganders to "step up their game" in order to stem the recent surge of coronavirus cases in our state.

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Although no new executive orders have been issued, Whitmer is calling for several voluntary measures.

  • She's asking school districts throughout the state to put high school students on a remote-learning platform for two weeks -- the weeks following most districts' spring break period.
  • Whitmer also asked for all youth sports to temporarily suspend games and practices for the next two weeks.
  • Additionally, the governor is asking Michiganders to avoid indoor dining and to avoid gathering with friends inside for the next two weeks.

Michigan's chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun echoed the governor's thoughts, saying that the next couple of weeks are critical in the state's effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“These are very tough things to do, and we do not make these recommendations lightly,” Khaldun said. “But everyone needs to understand that if we can just pause some of these activities temporarily, it will go a long way to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives.”

Khaldun acknowledged that Michigan has had a severe spike in COVID-19 cases, saying we currently have 515 cases per million people which is about four times the rate we saw in mid-February.

The state's top doctor went on to say that there were 291 cases of COVID-19 associated with youth sports in the first quarter of 2021. She noted that there have been 58 outbreaks originating from restaurants and retail settings in the past week.

[WDIV]

 

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