Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that she’s concerned gatherings over the three-day Labor Day holiday weekend could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.
The governor has relaxed some restrictions to allow more school sports and the re-opening of gyms and pools. At the same time, she extended the state of emergency in Michigan to October 1st.
Whitmer said masks and social distancing are still needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but the effort relies largely on voluntary compliance. She said backyard barbecues, parties, and travel to cottages and vacation destinations ramp up the risk.
“We have taken extraordinary measures over these past six months and the people of our state have largely risen to this challenge,” she said.
“We’ve just got to continue to remember COVID is still a very real threat all across our state, and so we know we can do some of these things safely, but every one of us has to keep our guard up and do what we need to do to protect ourselves and our families,” said Whitmer.
Dr. Anthony Fauci with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has warned Illinois and Indiana appear at risk of post-Labor Day surges based on infection rate data.
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