Whitmer Stands By State Lockdown Policy Despite Protests: I ‘Don’t’ Regret It, We’re Seeing the Curve Flatten
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) said she has no regrets for the stay-at-home orders she implemented to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, insisting they were successful despite criticism.
On Sunday, Whitmer and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) gave a joint interview to NBC’s Chuck Todd, and they were both asked about the recent protests against the policies they put into effect to enforce social distancing. President Donald Trump has repeatedly offered support for these protesters despite contradicting his administration’s guidelines that governors will be allowed to decide how and when to reopen their states.
As Whitmer said her state needs more testing and medical supplies, Todd asked if she had “any regrets on any of the restrictions that you have put into place?”
“I don’t” Whitmer answered. “Michigan right now has the third highest number of deaths from Covid-19. And yet we’re the tenth largest state. We are having a disproportionate problem in the state of Michigan…That’s why we have to take a more aggressive stand. It’s working. We are seeing the curve start to flatten.”
After Whitmer warned that protesters are risking new outbreaks by breaking social distancing rules, Todd asked if she was considering ways to balance the situation between protests and the need for quarantine. Whitmer answered that “every executive order I have taken weighs heavily on me,” but as she acknowledged the economic costs, she once again insisted that “the fact of the matter is we have to be really smart about how we proceed.”
“The fact of the matter is we can’t just turn back to what life was like before Covid-19,” she said. “We’re doing this calculation every day and looking to when we can do that safely, because the worst thing would be a second wave.”
DeWine was also asked about protests in his state, and he said “that’s just fine, they have every right to do that,” but he urged them to maintain social distancing.
Watch above, via NBC.
