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Whitmer extends coronavirus emergency through Sept. 4

Posted at 2:11 PM, Aug 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-07 14:11:33-04

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has extended Michigan’s coronavirus emergency through Sept. 4, enabling her to keep in place restrictions designed to curb COVID-19.

The Democratic governor on Friday pointed to an uptick in cases.

Since nearly two months ago, the seven-day statewide average is up six-fold, to about 700, per an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

The rate of positive tests also has trended higher since early June.

Whitmer has used the emergency declaration to issue orders to close certain businesses, limit gathering sizes and require masks in enclosed public spaces and crowded outdoor places.