Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Friday suspending evictions in the state of Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the executive order, tenants and mobile home owners are allowed to remain in their homes even if they are unable to stay current on their rent.
“Families across the state are facing a number of uncertainties, from concerns about their health and well-being and that of their loved ones to when their next paycheck will arrive,” Whitmer said. “Worrying about whether they’ll be evicted from their home, apartment or mobile home should not be on this list.”
The order, which will remain in place through April 17, also removes statutory restrictions to enable courts to stay eviction-related proceedings until after the pandemic has passed.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he ordered the Department of Housing and Urban Development to suspend foreclosures and evictions for homeowners with mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration through the end of April.
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.