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Here are the COVID-19 metrics Michigan officials will monitor before safely reopening

Here are the COVID-19 metrics Michigan officials will monitor before safely reopening
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon announced an extension of a partial shutdown Monday.

Related: Gov. Whitmer announces partial shutdown extended until Dec. 20 due to COVID-19

The extension will now last until Dec. 20, 12 days from the planned expiration of the original 3-week pause.

Related: Read the full Michigan epidemic order extending partial shutdown until Dec. 20

During a press conference on Monday during the announcement, Gordon set out three key metrics the state and health officials will look at when it comes to safely restarting.

They are: Share of hospital beds with COVID-19 patients, COVID-19 case rates and percent positivity. Details on each are below and what the state wants to see for a safe restart

  • Share of hospital beds with COVID-19 patients – percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients - Flat or declining trend for a safe restart
  • COVID-19 case rate - COVID_19 cases per 1,000,000 residents - Declining trend for a safe restart
  • Percent positivity - Percent of COVID-19 tests that are positive - Declining trend for a safe restart

Two measures that aren't official metrics for reopening but still matter are mobility and deaths, according to Gordon.

Mobility, he said, is how much people are moving around, house to house, which can spread COVID-19.

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Photo showing the key metrics for a safe restart in Michigan.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.

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

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

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