(WWJ) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she will not be "bullied" into opening gyms, movie theaters, bowling alleys and other business that remain shuttered under her executive orders.
Asked by reporters when such businesses closed for six months now amid the COVID-19 pandemic might reopen, the governor said: "There is no decision that I'll announce today."
"We know that there's a lot of pressure, of course, on our business owners as well as on decision makers and our public health officials," Whitmer said, at a news briefing on Tuesday. "We're going to continue to make decisions based on facts and recommendations from health experts like Dr. Khaldun and the University of Michigan Public Health, et cetera."
Whitmer was asked if there have been any outbreaks linked to gyms or bowling alleys in Northern Michigan, where restrictions on those businesses were lifted back in June.
While the governor didn't have any figures to report offhand, Michigan's chief medical executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said "there are some," and pointed people to the Michigan Coronavirus website, where the public can now find details about recent outbreaks in the state.
Whitmer added: "Certainly there are gyms that are flouting the law and have seen outbreaks... and they've closed within days of when they opened."
While some in the state complain about what's still closed, the governor said Michigan's economy is operating at 87% of where it was in early March.
"So that's a powerful story to tell," she said. "Certainly we know that all of this success is precarious; that we could see these number move real quickly in the other direction."
Whitmer said that's why officials are assessing whether sufficient safety protocols have been established for businesses that have not yet been allowed to reopen, "to see if we can start to reengage at some level on those fronts."
"I'm not gonna be bullied into making that decision. I'm gonna follow the science, I'm gonna work with Dr. Khaldun," Whitmer said. "But we are looking very closely at those businesses that have been closed for the duration to determine if those protocols are there, and if the seven-day averages and the number of positive cases per million, per day would support, you know, doing a little bit more on those fronts."
The governor said, while she is looking at the possibility of more reopenings "in earnest," it is "too early" yet to say just when it will happen.
Whitmer said because the state took aggressive action to close businesses early on in the pandemic, Michigan is faring better than many other states that did not.
"Despite being one of the hardest hit states early on," she said. "we currently rank 40th in the nation in terms of seven-day average of new coronavirus cases per capita, and 40th in the number that are testing positive on the diagnostic tests."
Whitmer pointed out: "Yesterday CNN Business published a ranking of states' economies that are getting back on track, and Michigan ranked number seven in the nation."
"...And that's a testament to the work that we've done, it's a testament to following the science, and it's a testament to the people of Michigan taking this seriously and doing the right thing."