Summary of COVID restrictions Governor Whitmer would like Michiganders to follow for two weeks

LANSING, Mich. – Last week, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer spoke of the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases statewide and asked residents to voluntarily follow various restrictions over the next two weeks.

Whitmer held its first COVID-19 briefing on 21 days Friday. She i Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, no medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, revealed case rates and positivity four times higher than in mid-February.

You can see the full information of April 9, 2021 in the video posted above.

Announcements

“We haven’t seen such a high positivity rate since our first climb last spring, a year ago, and that’s worrying because we’re doing a lot more testing than we did then,” Khaldun said. “This indicates that there is now widespread community outreach.”

The possibility of a new executive order is not being completely removed from the table, but Whitmer said he believes Michiganders has the tools to curb the spread without additional MDHHS actions.

Instead, it asks residents to follow a new set of voluntary restrictions for two weeks.

Whitmer asked Michigan high schools to return to remote learning for the next two weeks.

Officials are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in high schools when students return from spring break. Whitmer encouraged districts to test everyone before returning from the break.

“Given where we are with our numbers, MDHHS recommends that all high schools stop face-to-face learning for two weeks,” Khaldun said. “Students and staff should also be tested if they have traveled during this time. As the governor mentioned, we have more than 56 emerging testing sites with campus schools across the state that offer post-spring break testing. ”

Announcements

The state asked all schools to offer a face-to-face learning option from March 1st. But the increase in cases and outbreaks has caused some concern, at least at the high school level.

Whitmer and Khaldun also called on youth sports to voluntarily suspend games and practices for two weeks.

“We also recommend that all youth sports, both contact and non-contact, pause practice and competitions for two weeks,” Khaldun said.

Whitmer was asked why restrictions (specifically on youth sports) are being recommended and not mandatory.

“We now know we have the tools we need to protect ourselves, and it’s less a policy issue that we have and more a compliance and variant issue that we’re facing as a state,” Whitmer said.

He said policy changes alone are not enough to change the tide.

“We need everyone to step up and take their personal responsibility,” Whitmer said. “Therefore, I will not remove any options from the table, but at this time we strongly urge public schools and youth sports to take voluntary action.”

Announcements

Restaurants are allowed to remain open at 50% capacity, but officials are urging Michiganders to avoid covered food for the next two weeks.

“We’re strongly urging restaurants and diners to be smart and eat outdoors or take away food,” Whitmer said. “We know what works.”

“Just because something is open doesn’t mean it’s safe or you have to do it,” Khaldun said.

They said eating indoors is risky because it brings people from different homes together in an environment where masks are removed.

“Infectious disease and public health experts across the country have made it clear that indoor food is one of the riskiest things that can be done during this pandemic,” Khaldun said. “With the numbers we are seeing now, we just do not recommend it. You will need to order takeaway food, a self-promotion service or al fresco dining. My family takes orders several times a week.

The state recommends avoiding meetings with people from other households, but if there are meetings, officials want people to wear masks.

Announcements

“These are very difficult things to do and we don’t take these recommendations lightly,” Khaldun said. “But everyone needs to understand that if we can only pause some of these activities temporarily, we will go a long way in preventing the spread of the virus and saving lives.”

Specifically, the governor asked Michiganders to “avoid meeting with friends inside for two weeks.”

“You have to avoid meetings with multiple households and if you have a meeting, it should be small,” Khaldun added. “I should be out and people should wear a mask. You should take the test if you have been exposed, especially if you have just returned from a spring break trip. Take the test “.