LANSING, Mich. — At a press conference Wednesday afternoon Governor Whitmer said the state's covid infection numbers are worse now than they were in April, at the beginning of the pandemic.
“We are now at our peak in terms of new cases," the Governor said from the capitol.
"This peak is higher, higher than where we were at in April.”
The Governor addressed the State Supreme Court ruling made at the beginning of October, which struck down her emergency orders on things like masks and capacity limits for businesses.
“We are at a dangerous moment where there is a possibility it becomes community spread and things get out of control,” Governor Whitmer said.
She showed several line graphs to illustrate that the state's numbers started to jump significantly following the supreme court decision.
“We all recognize the Supreme Court has created some confusion,” she said.
The Michigan House Republicans proposed their own COVID response and recovery plan Tuesday morning. The Governor has not directly said whether or not she will work within that plan
"At the end of the day, you don't need an executive order or a court to know what to do,” she said.
She referenced several state department of health and human services (MDHHS) emergency orders that remain in effect. Saying, “I want you to know we still have a law on the books that is applicable that requires wearing of masks.”
The Governor also urged federal lawmakers to push through a stimulus package to help those still struggling, and announced several grants that are already being distributed within the state.
“We know a vaccine won’t be available, let alone widely distributed, for 7 months,” she said.
"We know more people will get sick, more people will be hospitalized and more people will lose their battle to COVID 19.”
Heading into the holiday season, she said, above all, that everyone in the state should continue to take seriously precautions in order to protect ourselves and our families.
“If you want your kids to have the prospect of in-person learning, if you want to stay back at work, if you want to keep your business open or encourage businesses to stay open, every one of us has to do our part.”