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(WWJ) Who's ready to workout? Hold that thought as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revealed live on WWJ Newsradio Monday morning she's not ready to let people get their sweat on in a gym anytime soon.
Same for movie theaters, which Whitmer refused to say would open this week despite WWJ's Roberta Jasina pleading on behalf of local theater owners in Romeo who desperately want to reopen.
"All I can tell you is that, like everybody I'm eager to get things more open. We've taken great steps. Michigan is in a stronger position than a lot of other states but our numbers are still north of 30 cases per million per day and that is very concerning. And so as we are watching the science and working on the protocols, I'm hopeful we can do some reengagement, but we're not in a position to announce anything this morning."
On her agenda today is talking to Mayor Mike Duggan about arrests made at protests this weekend, Whitmer said. Some are up in arms after Detroit made more than 42 arrests and some protesters claimed they were just standing there when cops swept in and started arresting everyone. James Craig has told local media that protesters aren't telling the truth.
Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood, a police spokeswoman, told the Detroit News protesters blocked all lanes of traffic early Sunday by standing in the intersection of Woodward and John R and used barricades to block off the roads.
Of those arrested, 18 people were from Detroit and 25 were from outside of Detroit, including one from California. All but one, who is connected to a weapons charge, have been released, Kirkwood told the News.
Whitmer said she wasn't ready to comment yet, but she is gathering more information on the incident. It's a moment where she have to get all the facts before commenting, she said.
She also didn't comment much on questions about whether colleges will be able to successfully carry out in-person learning this fall.
"I'm skeptical," Whitmer said, not elaborating.
On a personal note, Whitmer celebrated her 49th birthday this weekend. Roberta Jasina asked Whitmer, whose dogs were wrestling and barking in the background, if she's ever been so overwhelmed by the pandemic that she wanted to just pull the covers over her head and stay in bed.
The answer was no. There's been too much work to do. "There's no handbook to prepare for this one, there's no other governor I can talk to who's been through a pandemic," Whitmer said.