(WWJ) It's a topic on the minds of many parents: Is it a good idea treat the kids to a traditional Halloween or safer to trick them out of it?
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called into WWJ 950 this morning to talk Halloween safety, kids and schools. She also issued a warning.
There have been elevated numbers in the Upper Peninsula, she said, and if that continues "we may have to dial back a little bit."
The state operates its openings and closings on a dial system and shuts down sectors of the economy -- like restaurants, bars and retail -- when numbers in any one area are too high.
Bridge Magazine reports cases in a number of Upper Peninsula counties have risen, including Houghton, Iron, Menominee, Delta and Dickinson counties. This is the time of year when the area traditionally is deluged with visitors checking out the fall colors, enjoying rural drives, fall leaves, and apple orchard visits.
"Iron County has had 52 confirmed cases in the last two weeks," Bridge reported, adding, "It had seen only 36 cases in the previous six months combined. Delta has seen 82 cases in the last 14 days, equal to a third of all its cases." See the total Up North case count HERE.
As for Halloween, Whitmer said she's hoping people will decorate and enjoy the season, but if she had little kids she would get ready for Halloween, dress up, but not go out and trick-or-treat.
Speaking live with WWJ's Roberta Jasina and Tom Jordan, the governor said she's going to have the state's Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, weigh in on Halloween during her weekly news briefing to give parents guidelines.
"I do hope people will consider, though, whether or not they want to send their kids out and if they do make sure everyone is universally masked up. But if I had little kids, I think I'd take the approach that we get ready for Halloween, we decorate, we dress up but we don't go out and trick-or-treat and maybe we stay home and stay safe," the governor said.
Overall, she described the situation in Michigan as precarious.
Will the rise in cases mean more schools will shut down in person learning?
"In some districts, these are cases that we've come to find from testing outside of school and the school gets notified. We're just staying close to it to make sure we don't have spread within our schools and that we're on top of it and that we're keeping our students and our families and educators safe. As we go into this fall, the no. 1 priority is keeping people safe. Keeping our economy engaged and that's why we've got to keep our eyes on the numbers and work closely with our public health experts."
They're also watching newly reopened gyms and casinos to make sure they're not the center of outbreaks, Whitmer added.
"We're going to watch closely," Whitmer said.
