Six congressmen wrote a joint letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday, expressing their concerns in the most recent stay at home executive order.
In the letter, congressmen Paul Mitchell, Tim Walber, Tom Moolanaar, Fred Upton, Bill Huizenga and Jack Bergman said that their thoughts were a reflection of the views of people who live in their communities.
In the letter they said, "You were right to issue your initial executive order to slow the virus in an effort to "flatten the curve."
They say they believe she was well within her rights as governor to work with state legislature to issue directives and guidance to best serve the state.
They go on to say, "Unfortunately, your latest order is far to restrictive and includes provisions that seem arbitrary and internally inconsistent."
They give examples, including stores that are open with sections closed off, and prohibiting activities that "never require close contact with other individuals during normal operations."
The authors of the letter believe there are better alternatives that still follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines.
"By following this guidance businesses can ensure people remain 6 feet apart, properly sanitize, set up sneeze guards and protective barriers, promote proper hand washing and cleaning techniques for their employees while also protecting customers with similar guidelines. Individuals can practice proper social distancing and mitigation techniques while avoiding activities that jeopardize the health of themselves and others."
They continue, saying that if this isn't followed, or if citizens' actions endanger each other then further action could be taken.
The congressmen close the letter by saying, "Instead of needlessly shutting down large sectors of the economy and further restricting the lives of residence, we believe amending executive order 2020–42 can achieve our shared goal of protecting public health while also beginning the slow process of resuscitating or economy."
To date (4/14/2020) Michigan has had 27,001 cases of COVID-19 and 1,768 coronavirus related deaths since the first case reported back in March.
