Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that she still is not planning to issue a stay-at-home order for Michigan residents to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Illinois joined California and New York in ordering their residents to remain in their homes Friday.
But Whitmer said that while the state is monitoring the pandemic closely, “we are not there.”
Whitmer previously denied considering an order to keep Michigan residents in their homes on Thursday.
Whitmer also pushed back on social media speculation about the possibility of a shutdown after she activated the National Guard.
“I’m asking for funding for our national guardsmen and guardswomen to help distribute food and supplies, humanitarian missions. I am not calling for martial law; that is a rumor, and that is false,” Whitmer said. “And it is dangerous for people to foment fear and put bad information.”
“I recognize that not having plans to do something right now doesn’t mean, at some point, we might have to take more aggressive action. We’re clearly listening and paying attention to what other states are doing,” Whitmer continued. “If and when we are in a position where we think that is an important next move, I will absolutely communicate that, personally, to the public.”
Whitmer encouraged Michigan residents to focus on things they can control during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last October if someone would’ve told you that you might have a few weeks or a few months to just shut down, you might have welcomed that, thinking about the list of books you might read, or hanging out at home with your family or your pet, or just written some emails to people that you’ve lost touch with,” Whitmer said.
The first two presumptive-positive cases of COVID-19 in Michigan were confirmed on March 10. Whitmer declared a state of emergency in Michigan the same day and has since issued executive orders to close schools and restaurants and to limit the size of gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The number of confirmed cases in the state reached 549 as of 10 am Friday, including 215 new confirmed cases since Thursday, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Three people in Michigan have died from the virus.