Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is advising her constituents to spend Thanksgiving only with those who live in the same household amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Last week, our state health department director issued an epidemic order that limits indoor gatherings where COVID-19 can easily spread from person to person. These steps are what the public health experts say we need to take to avoid overwhelmed hospitals and death counts like we saw in the spring,” Whitmer said in a video Tuesday.
She reminded Americans practicing these measures will ultimately protect frontline workers.
“We all have a personal responsibility to to follow these laws and to do everything we can to protect one another. If you are planning to spend Thanksgiving with people outside of your own household, I urge you to reconsider,” Whitmer said.
She added, “This year, I’m going to host a Zoom call with my family so we can still talk about the things we are thankful for, in lieu of hosting an in-person dinner like I usually do.”
Watch her comments below:
Whitmer challenged Americans to imagine the ones they spent Thanksgiving with last year and “imagine how much harder it would be if their chairs are empty next year.”
She acknowledged the nation is “exhausted” from combating COVID-19 but emphasized “we cannot let up for one second now.”
Michigan has reported an average of 7,383 cases per day over the past week.
On Monday, the state reported at least 63 new coronavirus related deaths and 11,390 new cases.
Despite the number of coronavirus cases nationwide, Americans are still traveling for the holiday, as IJR previously reported.
According to data from the Transportation Security Administration, more than 1 million people flew on Friday.
More than 12,571,300 Americans have been infected and at least 258,600 have died.
