What Michigan's Extended Emergency Declaration Means

MICHIGAN — After a day of protests at the capitol and the Republican-controlled Michigan House's refusal to extend the state's expiring emergency and disaster declaration, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three new executive orders extending the declaration anyway.

“COVID-19 is an enemy that has taken the lives of more Michiganders than we lost during the Vietnam War,” Whitmer said in a statement. “While some members of the legislature might believe this crisis is over, common sense and all of the scientific data tells us we’re not out of the woods yet.

"By refusing to extend the emergency and disaster declaration, Republican lawmakers are putting their heads in the sand and putting more lives and livelihoods at risk. I’m not going to let that happen.”

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The first order terminated the expiring declaration. Two additional orders clarified that the state remains in emergency status and extended the declaration through May 28.

With the back-and-forth between Whitmer and the GOP, here is what that means.

Extending the state's emergency declaration allows Whitmer, if she so chooses, to extend the state's stay-home order. The order is set to expire May 15 and is reliant on a state of emergency in order to be continued.

Michigan, which on Thursday reported more than 41,000 cases of the coronavirus, has had a statewide stay-home order in effect since March 24. Whitmer said in a statement late Thursday that despite trends showing the spread of the coronavirus is slowing, the virus remains aggressive.

Whitmer took additional measures Thursday night with a fourth executive order, extending a previous order that closed certain places of public accommodation, such as theaters, bars and casinos. The order does not restrict a place of business from offering food and beverage using delivery service, window service, walk-up service, drive-through service or drive-up service.