(WWJ) -- Small business owners and supporters in Michigan are wary of a potential statewide "Shelter In Place" order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as the new coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread throughout the state.
In the last four days, five states, including Ohio, have ordered residents to stay at home unless absolutely necessary to leave. The orders are a strict measure to stop the spread of the virus and protect the public, but many are fearful of the implications such an order may have on Michigan's small business owners.
"Everyone can agree that the most important thing we can do for our people is to slow the spread of COVID-19 and 'flatten the curve.' It is also important that the public health response not jeopardize the health and well-being of the population in ways that add to the dangers our society already faces," Brian Calley, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan, said in a press release.
Last week California became the first state to be ordered to stay at home. The following day, https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/governor-whitmer-no-shelter-in-place-order-in-michiganWhitmer said Michigan currently had no plans to follow suit.
Calley says a broad "shelter in place" order would have unintended consequences.
"Identifying 'essential services' is not as easy as government officials may think," he said. "Just keeping the food supply effectively operating under the best of circumstances requires thousands of economic activities that span the globe to work efficiently. It is not likely that the state could anticipate and exempt all the economic activities required to keep the shelves stocked. This is especially likely to be problematic considering the substantial and immediate increase in demand such an order would cause on an already stressed system."
State health officials on Sunday announced more than 200 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to more than 1,000. Nine people have died in the state of Michigan, including an elderly man in Washtenaw County.
In the midst of the pandemic, Whitmer has taken many measures to prevent the spread and help the economy, including making low-interest loans available through the SBA.
Calley says there are many businesses that can operate with little or no risk of spreading infection, but that's not the case for everyone.
"Other activities, if not given a reasonable lead time, will experience severe economic devastation that will reduce their viability. The actions taken today will impact the future recovery, and therefore the resources that the state has available to support the health and well-being of Michiganders for years to come," Calley said.
The former Lt. Governor of Michigan says if Whitmer orders all Michiganders to stay at home, the SBA will recommend widespread compliance, but the association is urging "a reasonable lead time to prepare for the devastation such an order is guaranteed to cause."
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