密歇根州州长格雷琴·惠特莫预计将于周五宣布延长该州的家庭令,将有效期延长至5月15日。对此,州共和党人表示,他们将努力在紧急情况下限制惠特莫的权力。
“我们还有工作要做,”惠特默周四告诉MSNBC的斯蒂芬妮·鲁勒。"我们仍未脱离险境。"
“我将发布另一个命令,”惠特默继续说道。如果我们的数字继续下降,我们的测试继续上升,这将允许一些活动。但现在准确说出每一波是什么样子以及何时发生还为时过早。”
惠特默可能延长的居家命令促使共和党人迅速采取行动。
密歇根州共和党众议院议长李·查特菲尔德在推特上写道:“众议院和参议院将于明天召开会议,成立一个针对COVID-19的特别监督委员会,检查我们政府的反应。”。“密歇根需要认真而恰当地应对这场流行病。这是人民应得的,我们会看到它发生。#在一起"
然而,惠特默的办公室周四告诉美联社,任何此类尝试都将被否决。惠特莫发言人蒂芙尼·布朗说,惠特莫“不会签署一项法案,削弱她保护该州公民免受致命疾病侵害的能力,这种疾病已经夺去了密歇根州数千人的生命。”
2020年4月15日,由“反对过度隔离的密歇根人”组织的抗议聚集在密歇根州兰辛的州议会大厦周围。惠特莫预计将延长她的家庭订单。
密歇根州参议院少数党领袖吉姆·阿纳契奇在一份声明中说:“共和党人应该把他们的绝技留到密歇根人的生命没有危险的时候。”密歇根最不需要的就是一群参议员聚集在一个房间里,冒着暴露的风险,潜在地把病毒带回他们的选民和社区。"
惠特莫州长在周三的新闻发布会上表示,她正在考虑再次“短期”延长该命令,并解释说,当密歇根开始“重新合作”时,必须非常周到和精确
“我和其他人一样渴望重新启动我们的经济,”惠特莫说,“但我们必须在如何进行上非常明智。”
惠特莫最初将家庭订单延期至4月30日,这激怒了一些希望看到该州更快开放商业的人。
密歇根州众议院议长李·查特菲尔德当时表示,惠特莫的延期将使家庭“继续在一刀切的方法下挣扎,这种方法将恐惧置于公共安全之上。”
抗议者聚集在州议会大厦,呼吁结束密歇根州的社会隔离措施,惠特默称这一事件为“本质上的政治集会”
“这种行为扩大了对家庭订单的需求,”惠特莫在4月份告诉MSNBC。"这使得Covid-19扩散,超过了社区."
密歇根是受冠状病毒影响最严重的州之一,最近的数据显示有35291例确诊的阳性病例。该州已有2900多人死于这种疾病。
MICHIGAN REPUBLICANS MOVE TO CLIP WHITMER'S WINGS IN BATTLE OVER LOCKDOWN EXTENSION
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to announce an extension of her state's stay-at-home order on Friday, pushing the expiration date out until May 15. In response, state Republicans said they would work to limit Whitmer's powers during emergency situations.
"We have work yet to do," Whitmer told MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle on Thursday. "We are still not out of the woods."
"I will be issuing another order, Whitmer continued. It will permit some activity if our numbers continue to go down and our testing continues to go up. But it's too early to say precisely what each wave looks like and when it happens."
Whitmer's potential extension of the stay-at-home orders caused Republicans to spring into action.
"The House & Senate will convene tomorrow to create a special oversight committee on COVID-19 to examine our government's response," tweeted Michigan Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield. "Michigan needs to handle this pandemic seriously yet properly. It's what the people deserve, and we will see that it happens. #InThisTogether"
However, Whitmer's office told the Associated Press Thursday that any such attempt would be vetoed. Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said Whitmer "will not sign a bill that would diminish her ability to protect citizens of this state from a deadly disease that has already killed thousands of people in Michigan."
A protest organized by "Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine" gathers around the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan on April 15, 2020. Whitmer is expected to extend her stay-at-home orders.
"Republicans should save their stunts for a time when Michiganders' lives aren't on the line," said Michigan Senate Minority Leader Jim Anachich in a statement. "The last thing Michigan needs is a bunch of senators in a room congregating, risking exposure and potentially taking the virus back to their constituents and communities."
Governor Whitmer said she was considering another "short-term" extension of the orders during a Wednesday news briefing, explaining that when Michigan starts to "reengage, it will have to be very thoughtful and precise."
"I'm as eager as anyone to reengage our economy," Whitmer said, "but we have to be really smart about how we go about it."
Whitmer's original extension of the stay-at-home orders to April 30 angered some people who wished to see the state open for business more quickly.
Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield said at the time that Whitmer's extension would make families "continue to struggle under a one-size-fits-all approach that puts fear ahead of public safety."
Protesters gathered at the state capitol calling for an end to Michigan's social distancing measures, an event that Whitmer called "essentially a political rally."
"This is the kind of behavior that extends the need for a stay-at-home order," Whitmer told MSNBC in April. "That spreads Covid-19, that overruns communities."
Michigan was one of the states hit hardest by the coronavirus with recent data indicating 35,291 confirmed positive cases of the virus. Over 2,900 fatalities in the state have been attributed to the illness.