LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged Michiganders to continue doing their part to help control the spread of COVID-19 despite the state Supreme Court striking down her executive orders.
The governor said during a video posted to Twitter on Monday evening that her actions helped bring the virus under control and helped the state have one of the best economic recoveries in the nation.
Though Whitmer disagreed with the court’s ruling, she emphasized that the court held that the law itself was unconstitutional, not her interpretation of it.
“And the ruling does not mean all the protections we have will go away,” Whitmer said. “I have additional powers that I will use to protect our families from the virus.”
Without swift action from the Legislature, Whitmer said, 830,000 Michiganders and their families will lose their unemployment benefits if that executive order isn’t codified into law.
The governor also asked Michiganders to continue practicing COVID-19 safety measures, such as social distancing, wearing a mask, washing hands and getting a flu shot.
“COVID-19 didn’t stop being a threat because of a court ruling, because we’re tired of it, because the Legislature left town,” Whitmer said. “Let us not squander the sacrifice we’ve made to get to this point; we all have to do our part.”
Watch the full video:
COVID-19 didn’t stop being a threat because of the court ruling, because we’re tired of it, or because the legislature left town. We all have to do our part, because when it comes to fighting this virus, we are all in this together. pic.twitter.com/5LQwXO9UYi
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) October 6, 2020