Governor Gretchen Whitmer is defending her expanded stay-at-home order as necessary to protect public health.
And she says maintaining strict social distancing rules now will help prevent a resurgence of the virus later.
She says that would help ensure a post-pandemic economic recovery remains on track.
“We will have the conversation about responsibly re-engaging sectors of the economy. And there might be areas where we can do that. But for three more weeks, we’re going to grit our teeth and do what’s really necessary to save lives,” says Whitmer.
A University of Michigan projection suggests more than one million workers in the state could lose their jobs due to the health crisis.
But the projection says many of those jobs could return by the third quarter of the year.
“We can’t just flip a switch and go back to life as normal. There’s going to be a new normal. This COVID-19 is going to remain an issue and we’re going to have to be really smart how we re-engage so we avoid a second wave,” says Whitmer.
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