Detroit officials halt water shutoffs over coronavirus outbreak concerns

Detroit officials announced on Monday that the city would stop water shutoffs to residents who have unpaid bills amid fears of a coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and the city.

The Detroit Free Press reported that Mayor Mike Duggan said the city would restore water services to residents who had lost access because of delinquent bills and would impose a moratorium on further water shutoffs. 

It was unclear when the about 3,000 residents currently without water would see their service restored, according to the publication.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issued a press release Monday calling the decision “the right thing to do to keep families safe and protect public health.”

“We deeply appreciate Gov. Whitmer’s support and leadership on this issue,” Duggan added in his news release. “As long as COVID-19 remains a health concern, no Detroit residents should have concerns about whether their water service will be interrupted.”

Michigan officials including Whitmer and Duggan, both supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden (D), had been hammered on the issue for days by local activists as well as Biden’s 2020 primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Sanders supporters continued to slam Whitmer and other officials on Monday, questioning why the decision had not been made sooner and demanding action for the residents whose running water has yet to be restored.

“No disrespect, but I am still waiting to hear the plan that includes getting people’s water back on as this disease spreads,” tweeted Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a Sanders endorser. “Please don’t forget poor families. They deserve protection and with no access to water we are putting them in jeopardy.”

No disrespect, but I am still waiting to hear the plan that includes getting people’s water back on as this disease spreads.

Please don’t forget poor families. They deserve protection and with no access to water we are putting them in jeopardy. @LtGovGilchrist @GovWhitmer https://t.co/WtOUbsBIzS

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) March 8, 2020

“The notion that a City could shut off water on people in the midst of a potential infectious disease epidemic — really EVER — is unconscionable,” added the former executive director of Detroit’s health department, Abdul El-Sayed, who appeared alongside Sanders at a roundtable discussion on the coronavirus outbreak on Monday.