Michigan governor says state doesn’t ‘have the ability to directly enforce and control’ religious gatherings amid coronavirus outbreak

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on Sunday said she exempted religious services from a statewide ban on gatherings of 50 or more people amid the coronavirus outbreak at the behest of the Republican legislature but said she strongly discouraged such gatherings.

“We’re discouraging people from gathering at all,” Whitmer said on “Fox News Sunday.” 

{mosads}“That’s an area we don’t have the ability to directly enforce and control,” she added, citing the separation of church and state.

Guest host John Roberts asked Whitmer about the “Big Three” automakers shuttering amid the pandemic and whether the auto industry requires federal funds.

“I applaud the big three working with the UAW [United Autoworkers] in making that decision but at the end of the day we’ve got to make sure we can still be competitive,” Whitmer responded.

Roberts also asked Whitmer about attacks on her by President Trump, who referred to her as “failing Michigan governor” on Twitter last week.

“I think the irony of the attack on Twitter is we’ve already been much more aggressive than the federal government,” Whitmer responded. “We have to have truth in communication, we have to be making decisions based on science and facts. We can’t have half-truths and hyperbole … convincing people this isn’t to be taken seriously.”