NEWS: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urges a 2-week suspension of in-person high school classes, all youth sports & indoor restaurant dining. She stops short of ordering restrictions, instead asking for voluntary compliance to slow spread of COVID-19 as cases, hospitalizations mount
Whitmer also renews her call for the federal government to send more J&J vaccines to Michigan. 'We really should be surging vaccines to states that are experiencing serious outbreaks.'
The state health department will issue guidance strongly encouraging high schools that stick with in-person classes to enroll in the state's free, rapid COVID-19 testing - similar to a recent requirement for teen athletes
Whitmer 'strongly encourages' all Michiganders to not eat indoors at restaurants and not gather with friends inside for the next two weeks. 'Lives depend on it. ... We're going to have some tough weeks ahead. ... Please redouble your efforts.'
The recommended pause on youth sports comes just as indoor winter sports are ending -- state basketball tourney, for instance -- and athletes shift to outdoor sports.
Asked why she thinks anyone will comply with recs now, Whitmer says she wanted to make people aware of how serious the situation is. Variants are bad. (She earlier said she is not taking anything off the table re: restrictions.)
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan: All adults will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine starting April 5; Detroit to get mass vaccination site
Starting March 22 in Michigan, anyone age 16 to 49 with certain medical conditions will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine - the same day those age 50-64 are eligible under a previous announcement.
The federal regional mass vaccination site, at Ford Field in Detroit, will be able to administer an additional 6,000 doses a day for 8 weeks - the allocation will come on top of the state's regular supply. The site will open March 24 & run 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces that contact sports can resume on Monday, Feb. 8 - as long as masks are worn. If masks cannot be worn, athletes must undergo regular COVID-19 testing. This lifts a ban that started on Nov. 18, more than 2 1/2 months ago.
Whitmer: 'I know these past months have been tough on all of us ... (including) student-athletes. ... I appreciate the passion of our young athletes. ... Our numbers are now in a place where we can allow our kids to get back in the game.'
The latest move by the Whitmer admin to lift restrictions comes as Michigan ranks 5th-lowest among states in the per-capita case rate over the past 2 weeks.
.@RepMeijer is holding a virtual town hall after being 1 of 10 Republicans - and only freshman - to vote to impeach Trump over the deadly riot at the Capitol. It's now underway expected to last an hour #mi03facebook.com/11926611998393…
@RepMeijer Before taking questions, Meijer addresses the 'stop the steal' narrative. Says Trump's attempt to use Electoral College to overturn Biden's win would have had incredibly dangerous consequences. Says idea that Pence could reject results was 'bizarre.'
@RepMeijer Meijer says as Capitol was under attack, the only message he saw from Trump was to attack Pence. Faults Trump for taking 2 1/2 hours to send message after House was evacuated. 'I didn't understand what took him so long.'
I talked to Republican Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey today. He said this: 'Wayne County didn't determine the outcome for the presidential race in Michigan. It was Kent County and Oakland County that did.'
Shirkey confirms to @AP Trump talked about Mich. election results with GOP delegation. He says at 1 point, Trump got Giuliani to call in & Giuliani repeated the Wayne County allegations he had raised in a news conference last Thursday. Shirkey says meeting was 'innocuous'
Shirkey: 'There was no...asking for anything, other than understanding how does Michigan's law work. Once Speaker Chatfield & I made it abundantly clear that our laws are very specific, very clear, no room for ambiguity, basically that was the end of the conversation...'
Major Michigan hospital system CEOs are having a news conference. Cases doubling every 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. Hospitalizations are up more than 5-fold in 6 weeks. Expected to top spring peak hospitalizations late this month
John Fox with Beaumont: Inpatients have tripled in less than 30 days. 400 patients across 8 hospitals. 'That is accelerating.' It's been a struggle to get people to wear masks, he says, even in the hospital lobbies. 'We get resistance.'
Spectrum Health CEO Tina Freese Decker says western Michigan system's positivity rate is 15% - was just 3% in September.
Breaking: Whitmer issues order to reopen indoor theaters, cinemas, performance venues, arcades, bingo halls, bowling centers, indoor climbing facilities, trampoline parks.
Whitmer also lifts 10-person limit at indoor gatherings. It's now instead 20 per 1,000 square feet or 20% of fixed seating capacity, with max of 500 in largest venues. This also allows more people to attend funerals
Whitmer also issues order to require all students to wear masks in classrooms. It had previously been a recommendation in grades K-5.