Whitmer asks for 2-week pause of Michigan youth sports, indoor dining, in-person learning
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is calling on Michigan high schools to offer remote education for two weeks after spring break, youth sports to pause all activities for two weeks and people to avoid eating indoors at restaurants for the same amount of time.
She stressed this is a request, not a mandate. But she said people taking action on their own is the only way Michigan can curb a huge rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.
"We all know what works, and this has to be a team effort. We have to do this together — lives depend on it," Whitmer said Friday at a news conference.
"This is my ask to you, the people of Michigan. Please redouble your efforts on these fronts for the next couple of weeks."
She also took a polite swipe at the Biden administration, calling on the federal government to send more of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Michigan and other states where cases are soaring.
Whitmer confirmed speaking with President Joe Biden on Thursday night.
"As always, it was a good conversation. ... I made the case for a surge strategy. At this point, that's not being deployed. But I'm not giving up," Whitmer said.
Jeff Zients, the COVID-19 response coordinator for the White House COVID-19 Response Team, said Friday "there are tens of millions of people across the country in each and every state and county who have not yet been vaccinated. And the fair and equitable way to distribute the vaccine is based on the adult population by state, tribe and territory."
Earlier, officials said vaccine doses the federal government already has allocated to Michigan could be shifted to regions where there are hot spots. Whitmer and other officials note that essentially all of Michigan is a hot spot right now.
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In August, Whitmer and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers worked together on legislation that gave local school districts the power to determine whether virtual or in-person classes were appropriate. Apart from a few weeks in December when the state banned in-person classes for high schools and colleges, all decisions on how best to teach during the pandemic have been made at the local level.
Michigan Superintendent Michael Rice urged districts to heed Whitmer's request to pause indoor learning for high schools and all activities for youth sports.
“I support the recommendations of the governor. I urge schools to contribute the next two weeks toward the common good of our state and the health of our residents," Rice said in a statement.
During one of the telecasts for the state high school girls basketball state finals on Friday, Michigan High School Athletic Association executive director Mark Uyl indicated there were no plans to pause any schedules.
On Saturday, the boys state finals will be held in East Lansing. And spring sports, which began in late March, will continue. Uyl said spring sports athletes have to test once a week and that the positivity rate for student-athletes has been below 3%.
Uyl also said that because all of those sports are outdoors and have less close contact, he is confident the MHSAA will be able to proceed safely.
In a statement, the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators did not directly express support for or opposition to the governor's recommendation.
"School district leaders will continue to make decisions using data, consulting with local health departments, and with student and staff health and safety at top of mind," said Peter Spadafore, deputy executive director of external relations for the association.
"School districts have been managing this pandemic for a year now and know how and when to respond."
Woodhaven-Brownstown Schools Superintendent Mark Greathead said educators have always been in the best position to make class decisions. But he said those decisions must be made in conjunction with local health experts.
"We’re committed to working with our local health departments in maintaining the educational programs and activities that are vital to our students’ academic success and social-emotional well-being," said Greathead, who is also the president of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, an organization representing school superintendents in Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties.
After the governor's request, the city of Birmingham announced it would take action to stop the spread of COVID-19 through sports.
"In light of this latest recommendation, the City of Birmingham will pause the use of its recreational facilities for organized youth sports — effective immediately — through and including Sun., April 25th," read a statement posted to Twitter.
"This also means that the ice arena will be closed for the season. All ball field, soccer areas and open space activity may resume on Monday, April 26th."
National experts, from the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Dr. Anthony Fauci, have argued Michigan needs to stop rolling back safety measures given the concerning COVID-19 trends in the state. They specifically suggested cracking down on indoor youth sports; while most spring sports are outside, the delay in starting the winter season because of the pandemic means basketball and other sports are finishing up their playoffs this month.
However, Whitmer and the state health department have been resistant to calls for new orders. Since the departure of former health department leader Robert Gordon in late January, new director Elizabeth Hertel has only eased restrictions on dining, business capacity and private gatherings.
The state did institute new testing requirements for youth sports, but did not ban practice or play despite evidence pointing to games and gatherings afterward as likely sources of spread. As of April 2, athletes are required to regularly test in order to participate in practices and games.
During an interview with CNN earlier this week, Whitmer said youth sports is "one area that we need to do more in.”
“We thought with these additional precautions — in terms of increased testing, increased ability to have these safety protocols, decreased numbers of people that can attend these events — that we would be able to do this safely," Whitmer said.
"But we are seeing the spread continuing in teenage sports."
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Whitmer's words underscore a desperate race to vaccinate as many people as possible in order to curb a massive new surge in the pandemic.
Right now, the state is losing.
Michigan’s COVID-19 case rate has now risen to 515 cases per million, four times higher than it was in mid-February, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive. The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests is also four times higher than it was in mid-February — at 18%. That’s the highest point it has been since spring 2020, and suggests broad community spread of the virus.
“The data is concerning. But there is no need to panic. We know how to do this. And I want to be clear, and I've said this before, just because something is open, it does not mean that it is safe or that you should do it," Khaldun said.
“Everyone should also be implementing specific public health mitigation measures in their personal lives. Infectious disease and public health experts across the country have been quite clear that indoor dining is one of the riskiest things you can do during this pandemic. And with the numbers that we are seeing now, we simply do not recommend it.”
Essentially all of Michigan's COVID-19 trends are the worst in the nation. Case rates, test positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths are all increasing, some rapidly. Cases and test positivity have surpassed some earlier portions of the pandemic, when far more stringent restrictions on restaurants, other business and private gatherings were in place.
Whitmer reiterated she does not believe the state has a policy problem, but rather a compliance problem. She did not directly answer a question as to why residents who are not complying with state health orders would heed the governor's recommendation.
Republicans in the Michigan Legislature have blasted Whitmer and the state for COVID-19 orders, arguing the governor needs to trust residents to do the right thing. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, reiterated that with a tweet on Friday where he also thanked the governor for her actions.
"Inform. Inspire. Encourage. Trust. For the better part of a year, Republicans have insisted this would be more effective than trying to mandate healthy behaviors. I'm encouraged that the governor seems to have come to this realization as well," Shirkey tweeted.
House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, went a step further. He acknowledged COVID-19 trends are terrible but said it's time to remove all health and safety restrictions in the state.
"COVID cases are on the rise in Michigan, and people are understandably concerned. I am glad the governor encouraged personal responsibility and safety today without the one-size-fits-all mandates and restrictions that invariably hurt working people and children who could have otherwise gone about their lives safely," Wentworth said in a statement.
“Now let’s take the next logical step. Let’s remove the remaining restrictions in Michigan, put everyone back to work when they can do it safely, and trust the people of this state to do the right thing for themselves and their families."
Nearly 2 million Michiganders are completely vaccinated, almost 25% of the population 16 and older. However, the majority of those vaccinated are 50 and older, given this population was eligible for the vaccine earlier than younger people in the state.
There is a corresponding spike in outbreaks among younger people. As of this week, there were 81 new outbreaks tied to K-12 settings, compared with 35 at long-term care facilities, where residents and staff have all been given the chance to be fully vaccinated.
Hospital leaders say those school outbreaks are also infecting the largely unvaccinated parents of K-12 students, as hospitalizations have sharply risen among Michiganders ages 30-49.
This week, there also were 29 coronavirus outbreaks connected to bars and restaurants. However, the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association came out against the governor's call for people to not eat indoors at restaurants for two weeks.
"While we support and echo the governor’s call for a surge of vaccines to be prioritized for Michigan, we believe her suggested recommendation around indoor dining is misguided and doesn’t track with available data," association president Justin Winslow said Friday.
"As we approach a herd immunity in Michigan that will transform the hospitality industry for the better, it is incumbent on us all to act with common sense and proper precaution. But the continued scapegoating of the restaurant industry without proof or reliable data won’t make it come any sooner."
Currently, restaurants are able to operate with 50% indoor capacity. That's among the most lenient restrictions have been in months, following orders issued by the state health department in November to stymie a separate uptick in cases.
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Dr. Michael McKenna, executive vice president and chief medical officer of McLaren Health Care said vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible while also encouraging people to continue taking steps shown to work to reduce the spread of the virus, such as hand washing, wearing masks and distancing, are vital.
"People have to start understanding, you're not vaccinating just for yourself. You're vaccinating for your neighbors. You're vaccinating for your coworkers, and even more importantly, you're vaccinating for your kids and your families," McKenna said.
Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.