Governor Gretchen Whitmer is urging a two-week suspension of in-person high school classes, all youth sports, and indoor restaurant dining to address a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
Whitmer stopped short of ordering restrictions Friday, instead asking for voluntary compliance. She says high schools should shift to virtual learning, both school-and non-school youth sports should be paused, people should choose outdoor dining or takeout instead of indoor seating, and they should avoid gathering with friends indoors.
Michigan has the worst rate of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. over the previous two weeks, with a seven-day average of 7,234 cases per day. As of April 8, over 3,000 Michiganders are hospitalized with COVID.
"We know what works. Policy changes alone won’t stop the spread," said Whitmer. “I want to get back to normal as much as anyone else. I’m tired of this.”
Whitmer's strategy to reduce the number of COVID cases in the state has been to urge every Michigander to get vaccinated. As of April 5, all Michiganders over 16 are eligible for a COVID vaccine. Whitmer says the state is expected to hit five million initial vaccinations (at least first dose) by the end of Friday. As of Thursday, just more than 3.2 million Michiganders had received full doses of the vaccine.
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