Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) says the Michigan protesters pushing back against the stateās stay-at-home orders may be the reason why people are indoors longer.
Whitmer discussed the ordeal during an interview with MSNBCās Rachel Maddow where she admitted her greatest concern, at the moment, is a resurgence of coronavirus cases.
The Michigan governor is concerned about the consequences of reopening prematurely which could lead to a deadlier second wave of the coronavirus.
āThe thing that Iām concerned most about, and that I think my fellow governors are as well, is a resurgence,ā Whitmer said.
She went on to note the dangers of the protests that were held outside of Michiganās state capitol in Lansing. Whitmer pointed out that the protests ignore most of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines about large gatherings.
āWhen you see a political rally ā thatās what it was yesterday ā a political rally where people arenāt wearing masks and theyāre in close quarters and theyāre touching one another, you know that thatās precisely what makes this kind of disease drag out and expose more people,ā Whitmer said.
Check out Whitmerās remarks below:
In multiple videos circulating on social media, different groups of unmasked protesters can be seen standing in proximity to one another.
Whitmer went on to describe the behavior of protestors as the ākind of irresponsible action that puts us in this situation where we might have to actually think about extending stay-at-home orders, which is supposedly what they are protesting.ā
The governorās interview comes as protestors gathered outside of Michiganās state capitol this week, pushing back against her stay-at-home order. Whitmer is also facing two federal lawsuits over the stay-at-home orders, as previously reported on IJR.
Despite the demands for the order to be lifted, Michigan is currently the fourth state in the United States with the most coronavirus cases, as there are more than 29,000 positive cases statewide, as of early Friday.