By Mike Kruzman/Jessica Mathews/News@whmi.com


Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she likely will extend her stay-at-home order beyond April 30th even if she relaxes restrictions to re-open parts of the economy.

During a press conference Wednesday updating the state on the COVID crisis, the Governor said there’s reason for cautious optimism but we must be careful to avoid a second wave of COVID-19. She again stressed that social distancing is the most important thing the public can do and everyone needs to stay safe to keep dropping numbers and saving lives. The Governor announced temporary layoffs in state departments for 10-days and said another short term extension of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order is likely needed, adding some version will be in effect for a while. Whitmer said numbers are improving but more robust testing is still needed but affirmed the state economy will start to re-engage and there will be a plan. Whitmer said she hopes to talk more about loosening restrictions later this week. Whitmer said when we do start to re-engage, it must be thoughtful and precise – mitigating risk to all and mitigating risk of a second wave. Whitmer said she’ll discuss plans to phase-in sectors of the economy and more information will be released in the coming week. However, she cautioned that anything would be done in waves and some form of the Stay Home order will be in effect for a long time.

Governor Whitmer said she doesn’t know why the state Health Department made the decision to contract with a Democrat-aligned contact tracing company, but that it won’t happen again. Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who may have been in contact with and infected person and then collecting information from them. The company hired to work on the COVID-19 case in Michigan, EveryAction, was recently discovered to have connections to dozens of Democratic candidates, including Whitmer. The state, after allegations by Livingston County Commissioner Wes Nakagiri that this confidential personal medical information was being collected for partisan political reasons, and the criticism from several other Republicans, has moved on from EveryAction, and will select a new firm. Whitmer said she didn’t know who made the decision, but the DHHS thought the vendor was the best one for some reason. She continued, saying she didn’t know what that reason was, but she also doesn’t believe the DHHS has a “political bone in their theoretical body.” Whitmer said they moved forward with a vendor that they should have gone through with the SEOC. She said when it was brought to her attention, she told them to cancel it, believing it was an unnecessary distraction. Whitmer said, “I believe leadership is about solving problems. The correct process was not followed. We are fixing it because it’s important we get this right, cause this work is incredibly important. A spokesman for EveryAction has previously told WHMI that he could not imagine a situation where this information would be useful for partisan gain. When asked about the timeline for hiring a new contact tracing firm, Whitmer said the SEOC is moving post haste and quickly to find a vendor that can do the job. She said the appropriate people understand the flaw, and that will not be repeated.

Meanwhile, Dr. Marisa Eisenberg from the University of Michigan Department of Epidemiology explained case models, data and hypothetical instances if social distancing was lifted or relaxed at different times. She said there’s a wide range of outcomes for resurgence in transmission and a second peak is a real possibility if social distancing is lifted. Governor Whitmer stated the state has secured enough personal protective equipment or PPE to last hospitals over a week, even several weeks in some cases. She added that dozens of businesses have stepped up to make masks, ventilators, face shields, gowns, and hand sanitizer.