DETROIT – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is concerned about the upcoming holiday season as cases of the coronavirus continue surging statewide.
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 223,277 as of Tuesday, including 7,724 deaths, state officials report.
Tuesday’s update represents 6,473 new cases and 84 additional deaths, including 25 from a Vital Records review. On Monday, the state reported 216,804 total cases and 7,640 deaths.
Read: Michigan coronavirus cases up to 223,277; Death toll now at 7,724
“As scary as the spring was, these numbers are worse than what we were seeing in the spring and we are seeing our hospitals start to fill up,” said Whitmer.
Speaking to Local 4 News, Whitmer shared how the pandemic will impact her holiday season and the measures she is taking to stay safe.
“As we get ready for the holidays every one of us is going to have to have a plan and think long and hard about how we keep our families safe. I know it is hard, no one loves Thanksgiving more than I do. I love to host and have the whole family come together. We are not going to do it this year because it is just too dangerous,” said Whitmer.
The governor and her sister who lives in New York are really close. This year they will not be getting together for Thanksgiving.
Her sister is going to stay in New York and the two plan on seeing and talking to each other via Zoom.
The governor noted that when there is more than one household in an enclosed space without ventilation it is “just inherently dangerous.”
She also stated that if it is more than two households together the danger increases even more.
Meanwhile, Whitmer urged people not to put their guard down. By order of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services there is still a mask mandate in place.
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She urged people to be cautious of the virus and issued a stark warning that it could impact them whether or not they are vulnerable to it.
“Everyone will pay a price if our hospitals get overrun. The person who has a heart attack, the person who gets in a car accident. If our hospitals are filled with COVID patients, if our nurses and doctors are so fatigue, they can’t stay on the frontline, that jeopardizes all of our health,” said Whitmer.
She added that if COVID spreads to the point where officials can no longer contact trace or isolate the disease, it might mean the state will have to take steps backward in terms of its economic engagement.
“That hurts every single one of us,” she said.