(WWJ) Sick of staying home? Can't wait to get back to work, back to normal, or at least on to the next phase?
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she gets it.
"I want you to have your freedom; I want to have mine, too," the governor said, taking a more person tone as she updated the public on the COVID-19 situation Monday.
"It became clear to me this weekend that there are are lot of people who are worried, understandably, about whether or not we're gonna get past this moment...and we are...We will get past this, we will get through this. This is not a permanent moment."
Whitmer said she knows that many Michiganders are mad about her "Stay Home, Stay Safe" Executive Order, and some are confused as to why one store is open, but not another. Or that they can shop for this item, but not that.
"I will say that I understand the frustration that people have; I'm frustrated, too," she said. "This is hard. This is not what any of us signed up for, frankly. But the fact of the matter is this is a virus that is ravaging our state."
"It's okay to be frustrated. It's okay to be angry. If it makes it better to direct it at me, that's okay. I have thick skin."
As a person, Whitmer said, she'd love to be preparing for her daughter's high school graduation; and as the governor she'd much rather be "fixing the damn roads."
But, she said, now is not the time for that.
"I want you to know that I don't do any of this lightly," she said. "It weighs heavily, and I want you to know there's a cost that's associated. But the question that we're trying to confront is: How do we safe lives? How do we hold on to this health care system? And that's what's driving every decision that we're making to try to flatten this curve."
"There's nobody who would rather push a button and and return to life as normal," she added, "but no button exists in this environment."
Whitmer's remarks come after several days of criticism of her extension of her "Stay Home" order, which imposed new restrictions on stores, limits residents from visiting second homes and clarifies restrictions on boating and vacations.
Some Republicans in the Legislature have been critical of Whitmer's order and its effects business in the state; including lawn care and landscaping companies.
Whitmer said she knows that small business owners are scared of what will become of the businesses, and concerned about their employees.
However, she stressed that all of these decisions on restrictions are science-based.
She said she's working with health experts and business leaders to work out how best to get people back to work safely, and at the appropriate time.
"We at the state level are developing plans to safely phase in the engagement of Michigan's economy when it is safe to do that," the governor said.
"So this is an all hands on deck effort. It's going to be a data-driven approach that's based on facts, based on science, based on data from experts and epidemiologists."
Whitmer said she wants to encourage employers to start, if they haven't already, thinking about what reopening might look like; and how they will be able to keep their employees and their customers safe when the time comes.
Whitmer also cautioned about misinformation circulating on social media, including about nonexistent bans on buying things like child car seats and American flags. There is no ban on those items.
This comes as the state on Monday announced 997 new cases of the virus, and 115 additional deaths from COVID-19. This brings the state totals to 25,635 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with a total of 1,602 related deaths. [MORE HERE].
Also starting Monday, Whitmer said the state is opening 13 more drive-thru testing sites, in addition to those already in operation at the former state Fairgrounds in Detroit and in Flint.
The locations are the following:
- Atlanta (between Gaylord and Alpena): Thunder Bay Community Health Service, 11899 M-32, 989-733-6827.
- Bad Axe: Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, 876 N. Van Dyke Rd, 989-623-0137.
- Battle Creek: Grace Health, 181 W. Emmett St., 269-441-3463.
- Bay City: Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, 3884 Monitor Rd, 989-671-2000.
- Benton Harbor: InterCare Community Health Network, 800 M-139, 855-869-6900.
- Detroit: A second location in the city. Details to come.
- Flint (Open beginning on Wednesday): Atwood Stadium, parking lot entrance off West 1st Street, details to come.
- Grand Rapids: Cherry Health, 200 Sheldon Street SE, 616-965-8347.
- Jackson: Center for Family Health, 505 N. Jackson St., 517-748-5363.
- Kalamazoo: Family Health Center, 117 W Paterson St., 269-488-0804.
- Lansing: Ingham Community Health Centers, 2316 S. Cedar St., 517-887-4517.
- Saginaw: Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, 501 Lapeer Ave., 989-293-3492.
- Traverse City: Northwest Michigan Health Services, 10767 Traverse Highway, 231-642-5292.
People are encouraged to call before going. The governor said officials hope to test 100 or more people at each site per day. Get information about getting tested at the Fairgrounds here.
