Whitmer talks one-on-one about Mich. schools, churches and more
(FOX 2) - The big question everyone wants to know – what’s the fate of all the students in Michigan?
She promises an answer is coming later this week, Thursday to be exact. It’s expected to be announced that all seniors will graduate and all other students would move onto the next grade in the fall.
FOX 2’s Roop Raj talked with Whitmer one-on-one Tuesday about her announcement and other things, such as expanding testing sites to other counties in the state. You can read their interview below or watch in the video player above.
ON SCHOOLS
The big question everyone wants to know – what’s the fate of all the students in Michigan? She promises an answer is coming later this week.
"I will be making an announcement on Thursday. It's an incredibly complicated problem to solve. We have a 1.5 million kids who are not in school right now. We've got totally different districts across the state that have different resources and different challenges and that's precisely why it was really important that we get this right.”
“The speed is important but getting it right is paramount.”
ON CHURCHES
“I'm very direct. They shouldn't be meeting. They shouldn’t be congregating; they're putting their congregation at risk by continuing to hold services. It’s very serious.”
She says one branch of the Christian faith held a conference about a week and a half ago, and that three leaders have since died after contracting the virus.
“Faith is really important for folks right no win these trying times, and yet there are different ways to practice faith and to connect and using technology is one way of doing that and we ask that people do.”
ON MORE VIRUS TESTING
Detroit ramped up its testing last week with a site at the old state fairgrounds, which can test an additional 400 people or so daily who have a doctor’s prescription.
“What we're trying to do is make sure we've got the tests to perform,” she said, before other sites like that could pop up in other counties.
“I think that's the struggle from day one. We're able to do more testing and we've ramped up and that's great - but we're still not in the position that we have the tests that we need and so we have to prioritize and that's why having a doctor's note is really important that someone has done some sort of assessment and recommends a test because we don’t have a lot of them, frankly.”
“At this juncture, if you’re not feeling well stay home. And if you think that it’s really getting serious then call your doctor and determine what the next steps are together.”
ON BUSINESS OWNERS
Many business owners are getting worried they won’t be able to bounce back from their loss of business during the crisis.
Her message to those business owners:
“I’m getting worried too but I know this - we all have to abide by this order for the public health, for our individual health. It’s not easy and I've asked for great sacrifice and it weighs heavily on me. But the fact of the matter is every one of us is going to know someone who contracts Covid-19 and maybe doesn't make it, and that's why these aggressive orders are so important to our ability to ever get back on track and ramp up our economy again. We have to get through this crisis and we need everyone to do our part.”
ON HOW SHE’S DOING
“Like everyone, I’m aware of how serious this is but I’m also incredibly inspired by nurses, doctors, food service workers, sanitation workers; the people who are out doing their jobs so everyone else can stay home. They’re sources of inspiration even on the hardest days.
“There have been some difficult days. The loss of a good friend of mine in the last couple of days, 44, to suspected Covid-19 weighs heavily and it should serve as a reminder to all of us that these statistics are people's lives, these are Michiganders who have stories and loved ones and had a dream that they'll never fully realize. And I think it underlies the seriousness of how important these sacrifices we’ve asked people to make really are; stay home.”