By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she's reassessing the risk of opening Michigan businesses that have been closed for months under her orders to curb the coronavirus.

The Governor commented that five months into a global pandemic, there is still no national strategy around COVID testing and the economy continues to suffer. Movie theaters, gyms and indoor pools are among places barred from operating amid the pandemic. During a press conference Wednesday, the Governor said her office is working with the state health department to “drill down” into closed businesses and studying what's happening in other states.

Whitmer said she has asked the MDHHS to articulate all of the businesses that still have zero presence in terms of economic re-opening, where they can do another assessment on risk mitigation and determine if they might consider making some improvements in the policy. The Governor said they’ve learned a lot but stressed it is still a novel virus and there is no vaccine or cure at this juncture – adding they also have the benefit of learning about what’s happening in other states whether bad or successful. Whitmer said she anticipates being able share more next week as all of the referenced work is happening currently.

Meanwhile, the Governor also announced that she’ll allocate nearly $65 (m) million in federal CARES Act dollars to Michigan school districts, higher education institutions, and other education-related entities that have been most significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes schools in Michigan’s economically disadvantaged districts and aims to help address the digital divide that has served as a barrier to remote learning for students and educators across the state. The funding comes from the Governor’s Education Emergency Relief Fund.