LANSING, Mich — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the current restrictions put in place by the Michigan Department of Health and Human services for 12 more days.
The State's three-week "pause" epidemic order was scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. However, Michigan hospital officials have urged leaders to extend the pause through the holiday season.
“Hope is on the horizon, but we need an additional 12 days to determine the full impact of the Thanksgiving holiday on our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “This is all about protecting our families and frontline workers until we eradicate this virus once and for all. With recent daily case counts averaging well above 6,000, the daily death toll at alarming levels and the risk of hospitals becoming overwhelmed, we must work together as Michiganders and listen to our health experts. This may be the most difficult time yet in our struggle with COVID-19, but there is light at the end of the tunnel."
The order will keep existing measures in place through Dec. 20 and does not include a blanket stay-home action.
Employees who work in jobs that cannot be performed from home can continue to go to work, including those in manufacturing, construction and health occupations. Outdoor gatherings, outdoor dining and parks remain open. Individualized activities with distancing and face masks are still allowed: retail shopping; public transit; restaurant takeout; personal-care services such as haircuts, by appointment; and individualized exercise at a gym, with extra spacing between machines.
“We each have a personal responsibility to wear a mask consistently and minimize indoor gatherings, so we can protect our frontline heroes and loved ones,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “If we don’t, the disease will continue to spread and people will continue to get sick and die.”
Whitmer, along with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun and MDHHS Director Robert Gordon, gave an update at 2:30 p.m.
Monday the state of Michigan reported a total confirmed case count of 404,386 with the total death toll at 9,947. Monday there was a two day reported total of 9,35. Today’s daily case count represents new referrals of confirmed cases to the MDSS since Saturday, December 5th. Over the two days, Sunday and Monday, the average number of new confirmed cases is 4,675 per day. The two daily death count is 93.
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