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(WWJ) Following reports that the governor is ready to reopen gyms, still shuttered under her executive orders, she says: Soon, but not today.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that an announcement regarding more business reopenings will come "in the very near future."
"I know that there are strong feelings, I know that there are legitimate anxieties that are out there," Whitmer told reporters at an afternoon news conference. "Much sacrifice has been made, and I respect the business owners that are worried about how and when they can safely reengage, and that is something that I think is really important to reiterate."
"This has been a hard time for everyone; I want to make sure we get this right," she added.
Asked about recent remarks that she would not be "bullied" into reopening business, Whitmer said she simply won't "pushed or encouraged or tweeted at" to make a decision that isn't supported by "the best science," and does not call for the appropriate protocols.
"I think we've made a lot of progress in our state with confronting COVID-19," Whitmer said. "As we look to engage additional sectors it's gonna be really important that we continence to watch the science. And so we will be making some determinations in the very near future."
Gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys and skating rinks remain among a handful of type of businesses that are still closed in metro Detroit for over six months now under Whitmer's COVID-19 executive orders. That is with the exception of in Northern Michigan, including the U.P. and the Traverse City area, which have already moved on to Phase 5 of the governor's economic recovery plan.
But if the casinos can be open at 15% capacity, why not gyms and theaters?
Whitmer said tribal casinos, which are not governed by the state, have been open much longer that the Detroit casinos, have proven that casinos can reengage without any big outbreaks.
"So working with the Detroit three casinos, recognizing that 15% is a very small number when you consider how many people aren't in the casinos, we thought that was an appropriate step to take because we've seen in practice that it can be done safely,"
"Unfortunately, I think in these others spaces there have been ample pieces of evidence that, if not done appropriately, these can be spreaders," the governor said. "And that's why we wanted to make sure that we get the protocols correct. I think that we've got an idea of what that looks like and, as I've said, in the very near future there will be more to be said on that front."
Whitmer also teased a coming announcment on high school and other youth sports.
"Keep your eye on the ball, and keep working to beat this virus together," the governor said.
Whitmer did not specify a time or date for the coming announcements.
Looking at the numbers, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says there are now 103,710 COVID-19 cases confirmed in the state, with 524 reported today. A total of 6,509 in Michigan have died.
Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun says the health department is investigating 90 new outbreaks across Michigan. Get a look at where the outbreaks are happening, HERE.