Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she will announce plans soon to allow some businesses to re-open and to permit more public gatherings. As we hear from Rick Pluta, Whitmer says the state is preparing the next phase of its response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Whitmer says governors have asked the White House to let states decide how they’ll use emergency financial aid to fill budget holes. The emergency could create a $2.6 billion budget deficit for Michigan in this fiscal year. That’s according to the University of Michigan. Whitmer says states also asked for more swabs and chemical kits to perform more tests to determine whether it’s safe to re-open the economy.
“Robust testing is essential to have confidence about our strategies for safely reducing risk and re-engaging sectors of our economy.”
The governor says the worst-case scenario would be a heavy resurgence of new infections once people are allowed to travel freely and return to work.
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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
