LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference Tuesday afternoon providing updates on the state’s response to COVID-19.
The governor proposed a $100 million COVID-19 relief plan for legislators to approve when they returned to session Tuesday.
In her letter, Whitmer wrote, “Michigan families are hurting, and while we must continue to advocate for meaningful support from the federal government, we simply cannot afford to wait.”
The governor also asked lawmakers to pass a permanent extension of unemployment benefits. At the end of the year, approved bills from October lengthening state unemployment benefits from 20 weeks to 26 weeks, will expire.
On Monday, city leaders called for state legislative actions they said would help prevent cuts to vital services such as police and fire protection, without requiring a state handout, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The Michigan Strategic Fund approved $10 million in grant funding to provide support to small businesses across Michigan that have been impacted by COVID-19.
The governor said applications will open for eligible businesses beginning Dec. 15.
To qualify for grant support, businesses must meet a number of criteria, including but not limited to:
Michigan reported 35 new coronavirus outbreaks in Michigan schools Monday. The highest outbreak was reported from Northern Michigan University with 10 cases among the university’s hockey team.
MORE FROM CBS DETROIT: 35 New Coronavirus Outbreaks Reported In Michigan Schools Monday
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.
At the beginning of November, Khaldun says more people were wearing masks, not gathering and maintaining social distancing.
“We think that is contributing to the decrease in our rate of rise in cases. We will continue to watch these trends as we have throughout the pandemic and case rates and test positivity, and especially looking for those increases from the Thanksgiving holiday,” she said.
“If you did gather or travel during Thanksgiving, you should really make sure you’re trying to stay away from others as much as possible for 14 days after you traveled,” she said.
As for healthcare systems, Michigan still has about 20 percent of in patient beds filled with COVID-19 patients. Khaldun says, overall there are about 4,200 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state.
On Thursday, Whitmer, Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich and House Democratic Leader Christine Greig sent a letter to President Trump, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Kevin McCarthy urging them to take swift action and pass a COVID relief bill that provides support to help combat COVID-19, mitigate its economic fallout, provide support for Michigan schools and protect frontline workers, restaurants, and small businesses.
Whitmer and the Democratic leaders also urged the federal government to provide support for Michigan’s unemployed workers.
“Nearly 3 million Michigan workers and counting have applied for unemployment benefits since the start of the pandemic, with more than 600,000 still receiving benefits. Rising infections are likely to lead to more layoffs which will only drive this number higher. It is imperative that Congress take action now to extend the UI provisions of the CARES Act, such as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, to provide relief to those who lost their job through no fault of their own and to bolster the larger economy,” said Whitmer.
“This virus can be deadly for everyone, that’s why these next three weeks are so crucial. We flattened the curve in the spring by listening to our public health and medical experts we can do this again,” the governor said.
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.
“Every region in the state is seeing alarming case and test positivity rates,” Khaldun said.
Hospitals across the state are “closer and closer” to becoming overwhelmed and are on average 79 percent full, they are becoming more full of Covid-19 patients, according to Khaldun.
Michigan has the fourth highest number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in the country behind Texas, Illinois and California.
The chief medical executive said the public health system is also becoming overwhelmed. Case investigators and contact tracers may not be able to reach everyone they need to in a timely way.
“It is very possible if you have been exposed to someone with Covid-19, our contact tracers may not be able to get in contact with you quickly enough to let you know you need to quarantine. That’s why we are encouraging everyone to download the MI Covid Alert App,” she said.
As for Thanksgiving next week, Khaldun says, “The smartest thing is not to gather.”
“Indoor gatherings are a major way that Covid-19 is spreading right now and at the rates we are seeing in the state, it is very likely if you are gathering for Thanksgiving, the virus will also be around the table with you,” she said.
November 15 Press Conference
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a new emergency order today that enacts a three-week pause targeting indoor social gatherings and other group activities in an effort to curb rapidly rising COVID-19 infection rates.
Indoor residential gatherings are limited to two households at one time. The idea is to limit residential and non-residential gatherings where COVID-19 spreads rapidly.
Bars and restaurants will be open for outdoor dining, carry-out, and delivery only.
Gyms will remain open for individual exercise with strict safety measures in place.
Casinos, movie theaters, and group exercise classes will be closed.
Professional and college sports meeting extraordinary standards for risk mitigation may continue without spectators, however, all other organized sports must stop.
Colleges and high schools may proceed with remote learning but must end in-person classes.
“In the spring, we listened to public health experts, stomped the curve, and saved thousands of lives together. Now, we must channel that same energy and join forces again to protect our families, frontline workers and small businesses,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Right now, there are thousands of cases a day and hundreds of deaths a week in Michigan, and the number is growing. If we don’t act now, thousands more will die, and our hospitals will continue to be overwhelmed. We can get through this together by listening to health experts once again and taking action right now to slow the spread of this deadly virus.”
Monday’s order, which takes effect Wednesday, Nov. 18. The order leaves open work that cannot be performed from home, including for 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.
Fewer outbreaks have been seen in elementary and middle schools, and younger children are most in need of in-person instruction.
In-person K-8 schooling may continue if it can be done with strong mitigation, including mask requirements, based on discussion between local health and school officials.
Childcare also remains open to support working parents. Throughout this crisis, Michigan’s teachers and childcare workers have served on the front lines ensuring support for working parents and educating our children.
Governor Whitmer’s administration has worked around the clock to protect Michigan’s teachers and childcare workers and the other heroes serving on the front lines of the pandemic.
November 12 Press Conference
In Michigan, more than 3,000 people are hospitalized with the coronavirus and the rate is doubling every two week according to hospital leaders who are calling it “very serious” and an “accelerating trend.”
The governor said asked Michiganders to do their part in flattening the curve was to not overwhelm hospitals, keep people safe and save lives.
“Sadly Covid-19 is not done with us yet. It doesn’t care if we are tired of it or are angry or weary. This enemy is relentless and now the second wave of Covid-19 is hitting us and it’s hitting us hard,” said Whitmer.
Whitmer said Michigan is now in the “worst part” of the pandemic and this is the moment medical experts have been warning us about.
According to the governor, hospitals are nearing capacity and they are “burning through PPE.”
“We’re facing a 9/11 every three days. No one is safe from this virus,” said Whitmer, who added that youth, fame and wealth will not protect people from Covid-19.
Here’s what Whitmer said Michiganders needs to do all of these to stay safe:
“Just because you’re allowed to do something, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean it is a smart thing to do,” said Whitmer.
Here are more updates from the governor:
The governor also provided common mistakes people are making during the pandemic:
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.
Khaldun says the virus is “out of control” and urged people not to travel for the holidays.
Michigan’s overall case rate is at 416 cases per million people per day. During the Nov. 5 press conference, Michigan’s overall case rate was 261 cases per million people per day. The state’s positivity rate is now at 10.8 percent. Back in September, the state’s positivity rate was 3.7 percent.
“There’s no area of the state that is spared,” said Khaldun.
“To be clear, this is very concerning, because unlike in the spring, when only those who were very ill could obtain a test, now anyone who wants a test can get a test,” said Khaldun.
There have been over 45,000 diagnostic tests per day, which is the fifth largest total number of tests for any state in the country.
On Thursday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced 6,940 coronavirus cases in the state and an additional 45 deaths. This brought the state’s total of Covid-19 cases to 236,225 and 7,811 deaths.
To watch the governor’s full press conference, click here.
Whitmer began by congratulating Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and candidates from Michigan on their victories in the general election.
“On behalf of the people of Michigan, I want to congratulate Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Senator Gary Peters, Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack, and Justice-Elect Elizabeth Welch on their victories. This was a hard-fought election on both sides, shattering the record for the most votes cast in the history of our state, with more than 5.1 million votes and over 3.2 absentee ballots cast,” the governor said.
Whitmer said the people have spoken, and with the election behind us, now is the time for our nation to come together.
“We have a common enemy, and it is Covid-19, not one another. This pandemic has ravaged our state, infecting more than 190,000 people and taking the lives of more than 7,400 Michiganders. As governor, I’m ready to work with the president and our state legislature on areas where we can find common ground to keep our state safe. I remain firmly committed to doing everything we can to slow the spread of this deadly virus, so we can protect the health and safety of our families, our frontline workers, our seniors, and our small businesses. Let’s all mask up, Michigan, and let’s get through this together,” said Whitmer.
Here’s the governor’s updates:
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.
Khaldun says it’s very concerning what the DHHS is seeing across the state. Michigan’s overall case rate is at 261 cases per million people per day. The state is seeing more than five times the number of cases now than in early September. In September, Michigan’s overall case rate was around 57 cases per million people per day. In September, the state’s positivity rate was 3.7 percent (of tests coming back positive). Khaldun says this is an indication there is community spread across the state.
There have been 43,000 diagnostic tests per day over the past week. The state’s positivity rate however is at 7.5 percent (of tests coming back positive) and the rate has been increasing for the past five weeks, according to Khaldun.
In every region across the state, hospitalizations are increasing and as of Nov. 4 more than 1,900 people were hospitalized for Covid-19.
“That’s almost four times more than we saw at the end of August,” said Khaldun.
She also said if the state continues at the rate it is going with the coronavirus, Michigan could see “up to 100 deaths a day by the end of December.”
The local health departments are investigating over 590 outbreaks across the state, which is the largest number of outbreaks since the beginning of tracking investigations.
Here are some examples of outbreaks from Khaldun:
“Employers that can have their employees work from home right now, should be doing that. This means most office work and for those companies that really must have their employees come to work, they should be making those work places as safe as possible, and enforcing physical distancing and mask requirements,” said Khaldun.
Here’s the governor’s updates:
To my fellow Michiganders, if you have an absentee ballot, don’t toss it in the mail because we are getting too close to the election. You should drop it off at one of the many drop boxes or your clerk’s office now! #VOTE https://t.co/9bmpPXDsCv pic.twitter.com/IpHdgjBx6K
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) October 21, 2020
“Our cases per million have been on the rise” the governor said since the Supreme Court made their ruling.
The Supreme Court ruled that Whitmer lacks the power to issue executive orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic without consent from the Legislature.
“I want you to know that I’m going to use every tool at my disposal to keep you and your family safe,” she said.
MORE FROM CBS DETROIT: Michigan Will Allow Indoor Visits At Nursing Homes
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.
Khaldun says Michigan’s overall case rate is at 131 cases per million people per day. In September, Michigan’s overall case rate was around 57 cases per million people per day. The state’s positivity rate is at 4.9 percent (of tests coming back positive). In September, the state’s positivity rate was 3.7 percent (of tests coming back positive). Khaldun says this is an indication there is community spread across the state.
Khaldun says local health departments are investigating 393 outbreaks across the state.
“That number continues to grow every week. Top categories for outbreaks remain at long-term care facilities, educational settings and social gatherings,” she said.
Khaldun says the health department is now seeing a lot of outbreaks associated with religious gatherings. There are now 18 new and ongoing outbreaks that local health departments are investigating in this setting.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced 1,586 coronavirus cases in the state and an additional 22 deaths Tuesday.
This brings the state total of COVID-19 cases to 149,392 and 7,053 deaths as of Oct. 20.
In the state as of Oct. 17, there has been a total of 109,539 recovered cases of Covid-19.
MORE FROM CBS DETROIT: Michigan Reports 1,586 New Covid-19 Cases, 22 Deaths Tuesday
Whitmer said Michiganders should start taking action now with the November election in 48 days. She said Michganders should act swiftly and if those who have not requested their ballots, they should request it here. Ballots will begin being mailed on Sept. 24.
“This year, Michigan has emerged as a leader in facilitating safe elections during a pandemic,” she said.
Here are updates from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy director for health.
Khaldun says Michigan’s overall case rate is at 57 cases per million people per day. The state’s positivity rate is at 3.7 percent (of tests coming back positive).
