Michigan Adds Over 700 New Coronavirus Cases Thursday

MICHIGAN — More than 700 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Michigan Thursday as the overall number of cases approaches 81,000.

Michigan health officials reported 715 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state to 80,887. The state also reported that 19 more people have died from the respiratory illness, increasing the coronavirus death toll in Michigan to 6,191.

Michigan reported 996 new cases Wednesday to eclipse the 80,000 case mark. But roughly 300 of the cases reported Wednesday were from prior days, as the state reported the high number of cases was as high as it was due to a backlog of tests.

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Thursday's coronavirus numbers update comes after the state late on Wednesday passed a pair of executive orders tightening safety guidelines put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Executive Order 2020-160 limits statewide indoor gatherings to 10 or fewer people and, across most of the state, limits outdoor gatherings to 100.

Executive Order 2020-160 also orders that bars in every region, including those in northern Michigan, must close for indoor service if they earn more than 70 percent of their gross receipts from sales of alcoholic beverages.

Under the orders, Detroit casinos will also be allowed to open on Aug. 5, but their occupancy will be limited to 15 percent capacity. Casinos must also, among other things, conduct a daily entry screening protocol for customers and employees, temperature screening. Casinos must require patrons to wear a face covering, except while eating or drinking or for identification purposes.

Related: Whitmer Orders Some Michigan Bars To Close For Indoor Service

In the U.S., which leads the world in both cases of the coronavirus as well as deaths attributed to the respiratory illness, nearly 4.6 million cases of the virus have been reported. Of those, more than 154,000 people have died due to the virus, while more than 2.2 million people have recovered from the virus.

The impact the virus has had in the U.S. has caused economic issues as businesses have been forced to shutter due to the fear of spreading the virus. Similar concerns have prompted an increased use and interest in mail-in voting.

President Donald Trump on Thursday took to Twitter to float the idea of delaying the November presidential election to allow people to safely vote in person because of his concerns mail-in voting could lead to voter fraud.

The president tweeted: "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"

In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer retorted the president's tweet by saying that if the U.S. could hold an election during the U.S. Civil War in 1864, it can hold one in 2020.

"It's clear that the president is more focused on his chances in the 2020 election than on protecting families from a virus that has killed more than 150,000 Americans," Whitmer said. "The truth is that mail-in absentee voting is safe, simple, and patriotic – so much so that the president and more than a dozen of his closest advisors have done it.

"If we could hold an election in 1864 in the midst of a Civil War threatening to tear our country apart, we can and will hold one in 2020. It's time for the president to get his priorities straight and work with Congress on a bipartisan recovery package that protects our families, frontline workers, and small business owners."

Related: Whitmer Puts Trump On Blast Over Election Comments

The World Health Organization reports that more than 17 million cases of the coronavirus have been reported around the globe, with over 672,000 deaths attributed to the virus. Over 10.7 million people have recovered from the virus worldwide.