MICHIGAN, USA — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's extension of the stay at home order through the end of April is forcing people who have more than one home through out the state to pick a residence.
According to the order, travel is permitted until Friday, April 10, and "after that date, travel between two residences is not permitted."
This mean that people have until today to pick which home they will live in, if they have been traveling back and forth between two residences.
"The fact of the matter is, we're going to save lives by observing this order and by initiating these serious provisions," Whitmer said.
The updated order specifies that any public or private gatherings with people outside one household are prohibited, and certain travel restrictions crack down on that even more. Here is where individuals are allowed to travel:
- To return home from outside the state
- To leave Michigan to go home elsewhere
- To travel under a court order, including transporting children under a custody agreement
All other travel is prohibited, including to vacation rentals.
"COVID-19 is present all across the state," Whitmer said. "It might not have been detected and might not have been tested for you, we might not have had a fatality in every part of the state, but it is present statewide and the more people move around, the more likely it is going to show up."
No one can advertise a short-term vacation property unless it is necessary to assist in the housing of a health care professional or volunteer aiding the response to COVID-19.
"For these reasons, the more people that are moving, the more likely to spread. And the harder it is for us to have the flattening that we're tying to do for the health of our all of our economy, and most importantly, save lives," Whitmer said.
The state records show as of Thursday there are 21,504 cases of COVID-19 and 1,076 people have died form the virus. The first two cases of coronavirus were announced on March 10. Michigan has the third most cases according to the records kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Watch Whitmer's full briefing here:
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