Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that she expects to extend the stay-at-home order originally expected to end April 14.
Whitmer originally instituted the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order on March 24, saying that the stay-at-home order would stay in effect for the three weeks. Just days before, on March 22, Whitmer had also ordered that “public accommodation” like bars, theaters and gyms to close, as well as restricted restaurants to take-out or delivery only. That order is slated to end on April 13.
“We are not close to the apex yet. We haven’t hit that yet and until we do it is absolutely essential that we’re continuing to be aggressive so I would anticipate an additional order probably in the next week,” Whitmer said, according to a local Fox News affiliate.
Michigan had its first confirmed cases of the coronavirus on March 12 and its first death from the virus on March 18.
As of Monday, Michigan has more than 17,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the state, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The death toll for the state is 727.
Despite these numbers, the governor praised an increasing number of discharge rates from state hospital during a Monday press conference, but said the state is “running dangerously low” on personal protective equipment.
“At all three health systems, there are less than three days until face shields run out and less than six days until surgical gowns run out,” Whitmer said. “I think it’s important to note that while these timelines are very serious, they are a vast improvement from where we were just a week ago where we were living more like day-to-day.”
Beaumont Hospital is set to run out of N95 masks in less than three days, according to Fox News. Henry Ford Health Systems will run out in four days and the Detroit Medical Center in 10 days.
Whitmer said Michigan will distribute 2.2 million masks purchased by the state and that FEMA will send 300 ventilators, 1.1 million masks, 232,000 face shields and 2 million gloves within the next two days, according to Click On Detroit.
The governor also said that experts looking at Michigan data expect a peak in late April or early May, Click On Detroit said.
There are currently more than 330,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are 8,910 deaths from the virus.
—
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
