Gov. Whitmer Says We May Never Return to ‘Normal’ But Fails to Put Forward a Plan for the Future

It seems Whitmer does not have time to put forth constructive guidelines for the days and months ahead.

May 5, 2020

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer continues to have time for national interviews to further her quest to become Joe Biden’s running mate. But it seems Whitmer does not have time to put forth constructive guidelines for the days and months ahead. 

This morning, on the 3rd Hour of Today, Whitmer stated, “We can’t resume normal life until we have a vaccine” which followed remarks to WWJ News Radio 950 where Whitmer said, “We may never have the normal that we had prior to COVID-19.”

• There is no plan for thorough contact tracing of new COVID-19 cases in our state. 
• There is no plan for the depression level unemployment plaguing Michigan’s economy.  
• There is no plan for the failing unemployment insurance system that has left hundreds of thousands of Michiganders unable to apply for or receive payments. 
• There is no plan for the school system to return in the fall. 

Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin governors have started to announce plans and guidelines for their states moving forward while Michiganders continue to wait. 

Last week, Whitmer attempted to announce a regional plan but as WDIV noted, “While there is a plan in the works, Whitmer did not provide a timeline for when businesses will reopen or which workplaces will be permitted to resume work. Instead, she said she is working with industry and public health experts to determine which businesses will be able to get back on the job first.” 

There has been no update from Whitmer on the data needed or timeline since. 

If Whitmer thinks we are not going back to normal in the months or years ahead then it’s time to put forward guidelines for what the new normal can be for our state. Asking people to stay at home for two weeks and extending that order every two weeks isn’t going to cut it. From long-term health and the economy to unpaid unemployment, schools, childcare, and everything in between, Michiganders deserve to know what the metrics, goals, and guidelines are going to be in the weeks and months ahead. – Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action.

At Monday’s press conference, Whitmer did not give any specifics or even general guidelines on what individuals and industries should and could be planning for. Last week during a Facebook Live Q&A, Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency director declined to say when the application and payment problems for the thousands of unemployed Michiganders waiting on checks would be resolved. 

Whitmer continues to tout the need for contact tracing for reopening but has not announced a comprehensive plan, only that she canceled data and volunteer management contracts that went to democrat operatives in a no-bid contract process.