Wednesday News Hit: Whitmer's school guide, COVID-19 infecting young people, possible road rage near Ren Cen
"That's not going to happen," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, affirming the harsh reality that many Michigan residents already suspected, that the state would not shift to phase 5. The state's coronavirus spread had quelled, earning Michigan high marks from federal health officials for doing its part to reduce COVID-19 cases. But a recent uptick in new cases has dampened the state's momentum for reopening.
Instead of allowing movie theater and gyms to reopen by the Fourth of July holiday, high-risk areas were instead identified in mid-Michigan counties and medium-risk areas were identified in west Michigan counties. After the average number of new cases reported each week climbed, Whitmer put the state on notice that she wasn't placing more economic restrictions in Michigan - but she may have to.
It'll take a few more days before the state knows where it stands as far as a second COVID-19 outbreak is concerned. Three people who tested positive for the virus reported being at a Royal Oak bar on June 19 and Oakland County health officials are worried more people were exposed to the virus.
Not to be confused with the "MI Safe Start" economic reopening plan, this is a graphic if the risk phases Michigan's regions are in. Mid-Michigan counties that include Lansing are in the highest-risk area.
Even while an economic reopening is delayed, the governor said the state still plans on starting school on time. But when classes start, they'll look very different. Each district will need to implement its own safety protocols based on the state of the pandemic in their geographic area. While social distancing is only a recommendation, mask-wearing for students and teachers is a requirement.
The MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap offers school administrators a handbook for education during a pandemic. When cases go up, in-person learning and student interaction will go down. When they go down, rules will be relaxed. For where most of the state stands today, hand sanitizer will be mandatory before getting on a bus, desks should be spaced six feet apart, no indoor assemblies, and meals be served in the classroom or outdoors.
“Our students, parents, and educators have made incredible sacrifices during our battle with COVID-19,” said Governor Whitmer. “Thanks to our aggressive action against this virus, the teachers who have found creative ways to reach their students, and the heroes on the front lines, I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall."
There's also $256 million in additional funding heading for the school districts to offset some of the COVID-19 preparation costs.
As the state takes on its summer balancing act, the nature of the virus and who it is infecting is changing. Data from the state health department shows more people ages 20-29 are contracting COVID-19.
"The rate of new cases is now higher for people under the age of 50, and in the past two weeks the rate of new cases is highest in people ages 20-29 - 23% of cases in the month of June were in this age group, 20-29," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan's chief medical officer.
Khaldun attributed the shift to workplaces, upticks in parties, weddings or celebrations, and gatherings at bars. Little spikes in these cases are testing the state's contact tracing infrastructure, which the chief medical officer called the "bread and butter" for containing the virus.
One killed in Detroit after possible road rage incident near Renaissance Center
A man is dead and another in custody after a possible road rage incident turned violent late Tuesday night.
Around 11 p.m. near Jefferson Avenue and St. Antoine, which is near Detroit's Renaissance Center, police responded to reports of a shooting after two cars stopped under an overpass. It's unclear what caused the two men to get out of their cars, but police say both pulled out guns and one shot was fired.
"This evening, members of Detroit Police Department responded to what appears to be an incident of road rage in which weapons were produced from both parties and one of the parties was subsequently fatally shot. Detroit Police Department Homicide Unit is on the scene now and actively investigating and at this point we have one person of interest in custody," said a commander with the DPD.
The man who was killed is in his mid-20's. Detroit Police haven't released any more information.
Daily Forecast
Michigan's heatwave continues Wednesday, with temperatures climbing near 90 before tomorrow.
Trump faces pressure over Russia bounties to kill US troops
President Donald Trump on Tuesday came under growing pressure to respond to allegations that Russia offered bounties for killing American troops in Afghanistan, with Democrats demanding answers and accusing Trump of bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the risk of U.S. soldiers' lives.
Frustrated House Democrats returning from a briefing at the White House said they learned nothing new about American intelligence assessments that suggested Russia was making overtures to militants as the U.S. and the Taliban held talks to end the conflict in Afghanistan. Senate Republicans who attended a separate briefing largely defended the president, arguing along with the White House that the intelligence was unverified.