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New COVID-19 health orders coming soon

joneigh khaldun at a press conference
michigan.gov
File photo from May 13, 2020.

The state’s chief medical executive testified Monday before a joint House and Senate committee examining the state’s COVID-19 response.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s Chief Medical Executive, told the committee there will be new COVID-19 public health orders issued soon that don’t require the Legislature’s approval.
Khaldun said the state Department of Health and Human Services will make a decision soon on allowing more inside visitations at nursing homes as outdoor temperatures grow colder.

“It is important to incrementally re-open things to make that they’re as safe as possible. We are actively looking at the indoor visitation policy and you should see more on that actually this week.”

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The state Department of Health and Human Services has issued new public health orders. That’s after the state Supreme Court ruled Governor Gretchen Whitmer acted outside her emergency powers.

“The evidence shows that mandates do work and mandates save lives,” Khaldun said.

State Representative Matt Hall (R-Marshall) chairs the joint House and Senate committee on the state’s COVID-19 response.

“Our job now is to take all these things and to balance them, and to come up with a smarter plan to protect lives and livelihoods and to have a healthy Michigan and a healthy economy,” he said.

State House Republicans plan to roll out a COVID-19 plan Tuesday.

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Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.
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