DETROIT (Reuters) – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday extended her stay-at-home order through May 15 as the Midwestern state battles to control the coronavirus pandemic, but lifted restrictions so some businesses can open and the public can participate in outdoor activities such as golfing.
The measure, which also allows use of motor boats and traveling between residences in the state, immediately replaces one that was scheduled to expire next week, according to the executive order released by the governor and confirmed by a spokeswoman.
Whitmer is scheduled to provide an update on the state’s handling of the pandemic at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), but she told the Associated Press, which earlier reported the extension, that it was an appropriate time to re-evaluate.
“Michigan’s COVID-19 experience was tougher than just about any other state,” Whitmer told the AP.
Through Thursday, Michigan had reported more than 35,000 COVID-19 cases and almost 3,000 deaths.
“This is one of what will be many waves,” Whitmer added in the interview. “My hope is that we can contemplate the next one. But it all depends on if people observe these best practices, if we can keep the COVID-19 trajectory headed downward and if we can keep people safe.”
Whitmer, a Democrat, has been criticized by some Michigan residents and Republican lawmakers for being too restrictive in her lockdown of the state to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. She has also been mentioned as a potential running mate for presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Michigan, which President Donald Trump, a Republican, narrowly won in 2016, is considered a crucial swing state in the November presidential election. The state, whose COVID-19 infections rank among the highest, has become a focus of agitation to relax social-distancing rules that are among the strictest in the nation.
Whitmer’s new executive order allows garden stores, nurseries, and lawn care, pest control and landscaping operations to resume operations.
The governor’s decision just before Easter to order those businesses closed sparked widespread complaints and a protest outside the state capitol. Last weekend, a lobby group representing landscaping services filed a lawsuit against Whitmer over the order.
The new order also allows people to travel between two homes they own in the state. The prior order provoked complaints from residents of southern Michigan’s urban areas who had second homes in rural and resort areas of Michigan.
The order still does not make clear if automakers can resume production, saying only that some transportation workers are deemed essential.
The United Auto Workers union and the Detroit Three automakers are continuing to hold discussions about when to restart production, with talks among higher-level UAW and company officials set for Monday.
The union on Thursday warned it was “too soon and too risky” to reopen auto plants and Michigan’s economy in early May, citing insufficient scientific data and coronavirus testing to assure workplaces would be safe.
(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit, Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Nick Carey in Detroit and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
