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Gov. Whitmer lowers flags to honor 10,000 Michigan lives lost to COVID-19

Posted at 3:50 PM, Dec 08, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-08 16:25:01-05

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor 10,000 Michigan lives lost to COVID-19.

Flags will be flown at half-staff for 10 days, representing one day per 1,000 deaths, beginning Dec. 8 through Dec. 18.

“Our nation is grieving alongside each of the families who have an empty seat at the dinner table each night or who will be missing family members during the holiday season,” Whitmer said in a press release. “Right now, we need to listen to our scientists and medical professionals who are asking us to double down on wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing to prevent an unnecessarily greater loss of life. With a vaccine on the horizon, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we each need to do our part until then. We will get through this together.”

Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.