There are more details coming out from Governor Whitmer regarding how the reopening of the state’s economy will be handled. She says there are six phases in her MI Safe Start Plan, of which we are currently in the middle in Phase 3, the flattening of the COVID-19 epidemic.
“Phase four, which is where we hope to move to next in short order, depending on how well we all continue to be vigilant, is when we see cases and hospitalizations and deaths are clearly declining,” said Whitmer.
Whitmer was asked why she’s not taking a regional approach right now, especially given that there are fewer than 100 cases in the entire Upper Peninsula.
“As we look to the next phases, there certainly could be regional differences,” she noted.
The fifth phase would be containment, while Phase 6 is post-pandemic, where community spread is not expected to return and there is a vaccine available. Phase 1 was uncontrolled growth, while Phase 2 was persistent spread of COVID-19.
The following is the full statement from the governor’s office along with the link for the MI Safe Start Plan:
Today, after announcing that Michigan’s manufacturing workers will return to work on Monday, May 11, Governor Gretchen Whitmer detailed the six phases of her MI Safe Start Plan to re-engage Michigan’s economy. The governor has worked with leaders in health care, business, labor, and education to develop the plan, and announced today that Michigan is in phase three.
The phases of the pandemic include:
1) UNCONTROLLED GROWTH: The increasing number of new cases every day, overwhelming our health systems.
2) PERSISTENT SPREAD: We continue to see high case levels with concern about health system capacity.
3) FLATTENING: The epidemic is no longer increasing and the health-system’s capacity is sufficient for current needs.
4) IMPROVING: Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are clearly declining.
5) CONTAINING: Continued case and death rate improvements, with outbreaks quickly contained.
6) POST-PANDEMIC: Community spread not expected to return.
“I am working closely with health care experts and epidemiologists to closely monitor Michigan’s progress in the fight against COVID-19,” said Governor Whitmer. “As we move forward with the MI Safe Start Plan, I am working closely with partners in business, labor, and education to determine the best way to move forward each day. All of us know the importance of getting people back to work and the economy moving again. We’ve already reopened lower-risk sectors like construction, manufacturing, and lawn care.
“The worst thing we can do is open up in a way that causes a second wave of infections and death, puts health care workers at further risk, and wipes out all the progress we’ve made. That’s why we will continue to monitor the spread of this virus, hospital capacity, testing rates, and more as we work toward reaching the ‘improving’ phase.”
Click this link for the governor’s full MI Safe Start Plan.
