LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday she plans to extend the state of emergency by 28 days as Michigan deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
The current state of emergency continues through Thursday, April 30. The governor said she will be sending a letter to the Republican-led legislature to ask for the extension.
"It is important that we get this right. And so I would simply say that, absolutely, we're going to need to extend the state of emergency," Whitmer said during a press briefing Monday.
The governor first declared a state of emergency on March 10, and it provides the basis for more than 60 executive orders that have been issued to quickly address the spread of COVID-19. State law only allows such a declaration to last 28 days without approval from the legislature.
This state of emergency was extended by 23 days through April 30, when the legislature voted down Whitmer's request for a 70-day emergency.
The Michigan House and Senate have also recently created an oversight committee to look into the state's handling of coronavirus.
"I have multiple distinct independent authorities have constitutional and statutory power to keep people safe, as the governor of the state of Michigan. The emergency powers that I have as governor do not depend on an extension from the legislature," Whitmer said. "But the protections for our health care workers do. And so it's better for everyone if we work together to get this right."
The state of emergency is not the same as the stay at home order, which is in effect until May 15. Rather a state of emergency allows Whitmer to issue a variety of orders and directives.
"We have got glimmers to be hopeful that we've done a lot of things right," Whitmer said. "We have to continue doing the next right thing so that we can gradually reengage sectors of our economy which I believe is the shared goal that everyone has."
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