Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to move rest of Michigan into phase 4
LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to move the rest of the state into Phase 4 of her MI Safe Start plan during a press conference on Monday.
The planned announcement was confirmed by FOX 2's Tim Skubick. Gov. Whitmer and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun will speak from Lansing at 3 p.m. You can watch her press conference in the player below or by going to fox2detroit.com/live
About two weeks ago, the governor shifted parts of the state into phase 4 after a sharp decline in COVID-19-linked cases and deaths had been maintained. Under the previous extension, the upper peninsula and the Greater Traverse City area had restrictions lifted on restaurants and bars.
With Michigan's gradual reopening reaching the "improving" phase of the state's plan, more businesses will be allowed to open their doors.
RELATED: When will Michigan enter Phase 4 of reopening, and what it will include
Gov. Whitmer has said the following factors will determine moving the state into Phase 4:
- Cases and deaths are declining more sharply, percent positivity decreasing
- Healthcare system capacity continues to strengthen
- Robust testing, contact tracing and containment protocols in place
The number of new daily cases and deaths certainly appears to be on the decline in Michigan, and the percent positivity also has been decreasing since the state reached its peak in mid-April.
The state has said they look at rolling averages for the death rates and cases.
Phase 4 also means healthcare systems are no longer overwhelmed. In April, the state and health officials scrambled to assemble a 1,000-bed temporary medical facility at TCF Center in Detroit. That was put on pause because it never had more than 40 patients at a single point in time.
On Monday, Henry Ford Health Systems reported 70 COVID-19 patients. The hospital had a peak of 752 in mid-April.
The third factor, testing, has exploded in recent weeks and last Friday, Detroit announced it would open up it's testing for everyone in Southeast Michigan.
Michigan's COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward with 513 new cases confirmed on Sunday and 28 deaths reported. On Sunday, Michigan reports more than 38,000 of the state's confirmed 57,397 cases have recovered from the virus.
The state also confirmed there are just 13,800 cases that are still active. That's the lowest it's been since April 4 - almost two months ago.
Last week, Gov. Whitmer hinted that more news regarding the reopening of the state could be coming early this week.
The cadence has been to allow more openings every two weeks, depending on cases, so there is a belief that Gov. Whitmer may announce more parts of the state can move into Phase 4 of the Mi Safe Start plan.
Phase 3 is the "flattening" phase, which means daily new cases and deaths are relatively constant but transmission rates have fallen to manageable levels. According to Gov. Whitmer's plan, Michigan's move into Phase 4 means the number of new cases and deaths has decreased for a period of time, and when new outbreaks can be quickly identified and contained.
Moving into Phase 4 means more lower-risk businesses can open, like retail and office spaces. Dining-in at restaurants won't be allowed until Phase 5 under her plan.
Last week, auto dealerships and retail shops were allowed to reopen - by appointment only.
Gov. Whitmer's press conference comes as the state and nation grapple with protests against police brutality. In Detroit, a majority of the protesters arrested were not from the Motor City. According to Mayor Mike Duggan, they came from Midland, Port Huron, Saline, Shelby Township, Piqua, Ohio, and Nashville, Tennessee.
Gov. Whitmer will likely discuss the protests at some point during her speech.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said he was "very encouraged" by the department's response to weekend protests that unfurled following an explosion in racially-charged demonstrations across the country.