Gov. Gretchen Whitmer explained in an Op-Ed to the Detroit Free Press on Friday (September 18), six months into the fight against COVID-19, why Michigan will remain in a state of emergency for “a matter of months.”
The State of Michigan has tracked more than 114,000 total confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, including more than 6,600 deaths, latest data show.
“But the mere passage of time raises questions: Will this emergency ever end? When? And how will we know?” Whitmer wrote in the Free Press Op-Ed. “In short, the emergency will end, and that end cannot come soon enough. While it would be irresponsible to forecast a date, it’s a matter of months.”
Ending the state of emergency will depend on lowering the number of new cases, having a vaccine available, understanding immunity and other factors.
To date, the virus has claimed 6,600 lives in Michigan and nearly 200,000 lives nationwide, matching the American death toll of World War I, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined, Whitmer wrote.
Still, “progress so far is promising,” she said later, noting that “we’re nearing a vaccine,” and Michigan officials hope to have plans in place to distribute it this fall, at the earliest.
“In the meantime, we must stay the course,” Whitmer encouraged. “Michigan’s top health officials and the national experts I consult are united: now is a precarious moment and Michigan must maintain its response. Increased contacts resulting from the return to school and businesses coming back online, the shift indoors, and especially the onset of flu season, pose new danger.”
“Like everyone, I want this emergency to end,” she continued. “But I will continue to do everything in my power to save lives…We’ve fought this enemy together, and together we will win.”
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