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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joins Midwest governors in partnership to reopen economy

Updated  April 17, 2020 1:32am EDT
Coronavirus in Michigan
FOX 2 Detroit

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is joining governors from Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky in a coordinated effort to reopen the economy in the Midwest as the nation continues to fight COVID-19 outbreaks

Gov. Whitmer (MI), Mike DeWine (OH), Tony Evers (WI), Tim Walz (MN), JB Pritzker (IL), Eric Holcomb (IN), and Andy Beshear (KY) announced the partnership in a joint news release, citing that the economies are dependent on each other in some form or another.

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In the statement, it said the seven states will work in a way that "prioritizes our workers’ health" and will be done with experts taking a "fact-based, data-driven approach to reopening our economy." The governors said it would be done in a way that would protect families from the spread of COVID-19:

"Our number one priority when analyzing when best to reopen our economy is the health and safety of our citizens. We will make decisions based on facts, science, and recommendations from experts in health care, business, labor, and education. 

We will closely examine at least these four factors when determining when best to reopen our economy: 

Sustained control of the rate of new infections and hospitalizations. 

  • Enhanced ability to test and trace. 
  • Sufficient health care capacity to handle resurgence. 
  • And best practices for social distancing in the workplace."

The governors said the phasing in of sectors will be most effective if they work together and said it would not reopen all at once and some states could take steps at different times.

"Close coordination will ensure we get this right. Over time, people will go back to work, restaurants will reopen, and things will go back to normal. We look forward to working together as one region to tackle this challenge together.”