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At a news conference this afternoon in Lansing, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that Michigan is currently being hit hard by a second wave of COVID-19 and that we're currently in the "worst part of the pandemic to date."

The governor equated the number of deaths in the US each day with the terrorist attacks on the US in 2001.

"Our country is averaging over 1,000 deaths every day. I just want that to sink in for a second," Whitmer said. "Try to imagine ten 737 airplanes crashing to the ground every single day. That's what we’re facing: a 9/11 every three days."

Whitmer noted that we currently have 200,000 cases of COVID-19 in Michigan and warned that Michigan could be in for a grim Christmas holiday.

“The curve that we had flattened, right now this curve is a straight line and it is straight up,“ she said. “Unless we get our act together right now, we could be hitting our daily peak of deaths in Michigan come Christmas."

The governor said cases of COVID-19 continue to rise at an alarming rate, as the state saw 6,940 new cases today, breaking yet another daily record. Michigan recorded 45 new deaths from coronavirus today, bringing the number of confirmed deaths to 7,811.

Whitmer noted that Michigan's daily case numbers are up fivefold over the last five weeks.

Whitmer was joined by Dr. Joneigh Khaldun and healthcare executives who are reminding Michiganders of the importance of avoiding gatherings, wearing masks, and maintaining a safe social distance.

The governor made a plea that Michigan residents do not gather with people from outside their own homes for the holidays.

"This is the moment medical experts have been warning about and dreading since the beginning of the pandemic," Gov. Whitmer said.

Watch the full video below.

 

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