[ad_1]
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is at it again. On Tuesday, she stated that she is looking into the “next steps” that her administration will take to enact further coronavirus restrictions on Michigan residents.
During a recent press conference, Whitmer said that she is “having ongoing regular conversations” with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials about how to deal with the “very serious” increase in COVID-19 cases. She made the remarks in response to a question about whether or not she is considering imposing another stay-at-home order.
From The Detroit News:
“To date, there have been nearly 217,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 7,600 deaths from the virus in Michigan. The cases have increased during the past month, and hospitalizations have quadrupled since the beginning of October — numbers that are even ‘worse than what we were seeing in the spring,’ Whitmer said.”
While COVID-related deaths have not risen to the same levels as in the spring, officials are concerned that they could get worse if the state experiences a “second wave” of the virus.
“We’re working very closely with our local departments of public health and the administrators of our hospital systems,” Whitmer said. “I would love to have partnership where we can take the politics out of this moment and do everything we can to save lives here in Michigan and mitigate the harm.”
Early in October, the Michigan state Supreme Court struck down the law that Whitmer was using to issue her previous lockdown orders that many found to be onerous and excessively restrictive. The court also found that she illegally extended a state of emergency order after April without obtaining the legislature’s approval.
State Republican lawmakers have taken issue with the Health and Human Services implementation of some of the restrictions that the court struck down. They argued that this is nothing more than Whitmer trying to work around the court’s ruling. The courts have not indicated whether or not they will take a look at the governor’s recent actions.
Last week, Whitmer urged the legislature to pass a measure that would impose a statewide mask requirement, claiming that it would be “helpful to our health, our safety, and our economy.” However, GOP lawmakers stated that they would oppose any such legislation.
For now, it appears that the battle between Whitmer and state GOP continues. It comes as no surprise that the governor is cooking up new ways to restrict the residents of Michigan. After her stinging defeat in October, she is likely trying to figure out if there are other ways to impose her agenda. But it doesn’t seem that Republicans in the legislature are willing to allow her to have her way.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Follow me on Twitter: @JeffOnTheRight
[ad_2]
