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Covid 19

Whitmer Hopes Michiganders Respond and Lower State Positivity Rate

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For the last time before Thanksgiving, Governor Gretchen Whitmer addressed the state giving an update on the COVID-19 fight.

This comes the day after her most recent epidemic order closed down certain businesses and cut off indoor dining for three weeks.

Michigan is seeing a positivity rate in the teens recently and Governor Whitmer wants to see it down again near 3%.

That number may be impossible to hit with just a three week pause but the Governor says the restrictions can still be loosened if there is improvement towards that three percent.

“If we see meaningful movement in the right direction, that is possible. That shows that we are capable of getting our arms around this,” says Whitmer, “I use the 3% number to highlight where we were most of the summer. That was contained spread. Right now, there’s no question that it is out of control community spread all across the state of Michigan.”

Pleading with people to wear masks and avoid crowds, a lot of focus was placed on holiday gatherings with Thanksgiving coming.

When the state’s chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, to the podium she did not mince words.

“At the rate we are seeing in the state, it is more than likely that if you’re gathering for Thanksgiving, the virus will also be around a table,” says Dr. Khaldun, “That bad decision at Thanksgiving means people will be mourning the death of their loved ones by New Year’s. I would rather make smart decisions now and look forward to next year when we can celebrate them together alive.”

Whitmer also encouraged Michiganders to avoid major crowds in Black Friday shopping and to instead shop local and distanced for the holidays.

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