DETROIT - The Spirit of Detroit never says much but when it's got a message for residents, you'll know.
Monday's message is pretty obvious: protect yourself.
Normally spotted wearing Michigan and Detroit-themed jerseys to show off team pride, the Spirit of Detroit was seen wearing a mask.
A long list of public health officials are starting to urge anyone who goes out in public to wear a mask to protect themselves and others from the spread of coronavirus.
After Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said residents should be wearing their own makeshift masks, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made a similar call on Saturday. The idea is not just to protect you from contracting COVID-19, but to prevent someone who may have the disease from spreading it to someone else.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Governor, lawmakers at odds over emergency declaration extension
Tensions are rising between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and lawmakers over an in-person vote scheduled for Tuesday that would extend the state's emergency declaration. While Whitmer and GOP lawmakers are at odds over how long the order last, Detroit Democrats are unhappy an in-person vote is even happening, arguing it opens them up to possible exposure of coroanvirus.
Later in the day, a maintenance worker came out and removed the mask.
Each executive order and request from cities and states have been designed to ease the burden on hospitals nearing capacity for beds, ventilators, and space in the internal care unit. While Detroit is not the hardest-hit city in the country, it's near the top for new cases and has become the epicenter and example of how quickly the virus can spread.
"I don't know if we can bend the curve in Detroit," Duggan said Saturday. "They failed to do it in New York and the loss of life is almost unimaginable.”
Both the motor city and Wayne County account for approximately half of all known cases of coronavirus in Michigan. Almost 4,500 people from Detroit have tested positive and 158 people have died.