Michigan governor: May be appropriate to open businesses that ‘pose very little risk’

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) on Thursday said that she was open to reopening businesses in the state that “pose very little risk” of spreading the coronavirus.

“[It’s] appropriate to keep doing that assessment. We may have some announcements in the coming days,” Whitmer said, according to CNN.

The governor did not name specific businesses but said her assessment would be based on several criteria, including, “Is it public-facing? Does the majority of the work happen indoors or outdoors? Does it require more than one person using a set of instruments or machinery? These are three of many questions that we’re asking to assess risk inherent in different sectors of our economy.”

“I’ve heard governors across the country on both sides of the aisle say it’s not going to be like flipping a light switch. We’re not going to be able to just go back to pre-COVID-19 posture,” Whitmer added. “We’ve got to be strategic and thoughtful, and so every day we’re getting more data, every day we’re learning more about this virus.”

Whitmer said on Wednesday that she is evaluating her stay-at-home order with tentative plans to make another announcement by the end of the week, telling reporters that the infection curve has flattened and begun stabilizing, with hospitalizations peaking about 10 days ago and declining in the meantime.

Whitmer has imposed one of the country’s strictest stay-at-home mandates.

Last week she joined a bipartisan coalition of Midwestern governors who will partner on developing plans to lift restrictions on their states, along with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).

“We are doing everything we can to protect the people of our states and slow the spread of COVID-19, and we are eager to work together to mitigate the economic crisis this virus has caused in our region,” the governors said in a joint statement.