IT COMES AS THE NUMBER OF CASES
IN THE STATE EXCEEDS 64,000 AND
THE DEATH TOLL NEAR 6,000.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN,
GRETCHEN WHITMER, JOINS US NOW.
YOU’RE TAKING MAJOR STEPS TO
REOPEN THIS WEEK.
WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CONCERNS?
>> CLEARLY, CORONAVIRUS IS STILL
VERY PRESENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND THAT’S WHY, AS WE START TO
RE-ENGAGE AND WE’RE DOING AN
INCREMENTAL ENGAGEMENT, ALWAYS
INFORMED BY SOME OF THE BEST
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS IN OUR
COUNTRY, WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS
INCREMENTALLY, BUT OUR HOPE IS
THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE STILL
HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS.
WE NEED TO WEAR OUR MASKS.
WE CANNOT JUST DROP OUR GUARD.
WE DID LEARN LESSONS FROM 1918
WHAT HAPPENED IN OUR COUNTRY AND
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN OTHER
COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD WHO
HAVE DEALT WITH CORONAVIRUS
BEFORE WE DID.
IF WE DROP ALL OF THE SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND ALL OF THE
IMPORTANT HYGIENE MEASURES WE’VE
LEARNED ABOUT IN THESE LAST
THREE MONTHS, WE COULD SET
OURSELVES UP FOR ANOTHER SPIKE.
AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I
THINK, WHILE THERE’S A LOT OF
DEBATE ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS IN
THIS COUNTRY, WE SHOULD BE
UNANIMOUS THAT NO ONE WANTS TO
GO THROUGH ANOTHER SPIKE OF
COVID-19 AND BACK TO A STAY-HOME
ORDER.
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE HOPING TO
AVOID.
>> THEN HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO
THE KRITSCRITICISM YOU RECEIVED
YOU YOURSELF DIDN’T PRACTICE
SOCIAL DISTANCING WHILE YOU
PARTICIPATED IN A PEACEFUL
PROTEST AND DID WEAR A MASK?
>> SO I WORE A MASK THE WHOLE
TIME.
I DID NOT GREET PEOPLE THE WAY I
USUALLY DO WITH HUGS OR
HANDSHAKES OR HIGH-FIVES.
I RECOGNIZE THAT’S HOW COVID
NORTHEASTERN SPREAD19
SPREADS.
BUT OUR RIGHT TO DEMONSTRATE IS
SOMETHING THAT IN THIS MOMENT I
THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SHOW
UP, TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH SO
MANY WHO ARE PROTESTING POLICE
BRUTALITY IN OUR COUNTRY.
WE NEED TO TAKE STEPS AND SHOW
UNITY.
AND WHERE THAT IS LACKING ON THE
NATIONAL FRONT, IT’S INCUMBENT
UPON GOVERNORS TO TAKE THIS
SERIOUSLY AND TO SET THE
EXAMPLE.
AS PEOPLE PROTEST, I’VE ASKED
THEM TO KEEP WEARING THE MASK.
TRY TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE, BUT
IT’S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE, YOU
KNOW, SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO,
ESPECIALLY IN A MARCH LIKE THIS.
BUT REFRAIN FROM THE HANDSHAKE,
THE HIGH-FIVES AND HUGS THAT WE
KNOW BRING US IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY.
WHEN YOU’RE SPEAKING, KEEP THAT
MASK ON.
IT IS -- THE THROWING OF YOUR
VOICE, THE PROJECTION THAT
CREATES THE PLACE WHERE COVID-19
IS SPREADING.
AND THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT
THAT AS THE LEADERS TAKE ON
THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOW THE
LEADERSHIP THAT’S SO LACKING
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND FROM THE
NATIONAL FRONT THAT WE
DEMONSTRATE THE KIND OF ACTIVITY
THAT WE’RE ASKING EVERYONE ELSE
TO CONTINUE PORTRAYING.
>> HOW HARD IS IT FOR YOU TO
BALANCE THIS VERY IMPORTANT
MESSAGE TO RESPECT AND ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO PROTEST IN THE NAME OF
JUSTICE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME,
YOU LEAD A STATE WHERE YOU HAD
MANY PEOPLE FURIOUS THAT THEY
HAD TO STAY HOME, THAT THEY
COULDN’T RUN THEIR BUSINESSES
GORE TO SCHOOLOR
GO TO SCHOOL OR GO TO WORK?
HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE TWO.
>> IT’S DIFFICULT, BUT WE ARE
SMART PEOPLE.
WE UNDERSTAND.
THE MAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN
THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, MILLIONS
UNDERTOOK WHAT WE KNEW TO BE THE
BEST PRACTICES.
THEY MADE THE SACRIFICE.
WE CAN’T LET THIS SACRIFICE HAVE
BEEN MADE IN VAIN.
THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT WE
CONTINUE TO KEEP OUR GUARD UP
AND DO THESE THINGS.
WE ARE RE-ENGAGING THE ECONOMY.
BUT WE ALSO CAN’T FORGET THAT
JUST TEN WEEKS AGO, WE WERE
NUMBER THREE IN THE COUNTRY IN
TERMS OF NUMBER OF POSITIVE
COVID-19 CASES.
WE WERE NUMBER THREE IN THIS
COUNTRY WITH REGARD TO THE
HIGHEST NUMBER OF DEATHS.
WE KNOW THIS HAD A
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
WE CAN’T FORGET HOW DIRE THE
CIRCUMSTANCES WERE JUST A FEW
MONTHS AGO AND WHAT THE THREAT
COULD BE IF WE DROP ALL OF THESE
PROTECTIONS THAT WE’VE LEARNED
ABOUT AND THAT WE’RE TRYING TO
EMULATE.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC
IMPACT ON MICHIGAN RESIDENTS
THAT COVID HAS HAD.
WE’VE SEEN 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE IN
YOUR STATE LOSE THEIR JOBS SINCE
MID-MARCH.
WE’VE GOT A STRONG JOBS NUMBER
ON FRIDAY.
THE PRESIDENT SAID IT WAS A
GREAT DAY FOR THE U.S. ECONOMY.
THE GREATEST COMEBACK.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR STATE?
HOW DO PEOPLE FEEL?
>> WELL, YOU ALREADY DEBUNKED
THE RHETORIC COMING OUT OF THE
WHITE HOUSE THIS MORNING, BUT
WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS.
THIS HAS BEEN HARD.
THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT WE ARE
DEALING WITH THIS 100-YEAR
GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT REQUIRED
THAT WE SHUT PARTS OF OUR
ECONOMY DOWN.
SO THAT WE COULD STAVE THE
INCREDIBLE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH WE
WERE SEEING.
IT WAS TAKING LIVES.
OVER 5,600 PEOPLE IN MICHIGAN
HAVE DIED AND YET WE KNOW THAT
NUMBER WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH,
MUCH HIGHER IF WE DIDN’T TAKE
THE AGGRESSIVE ACTION.
AS WE ARE RE-ENGAGING, MORE
PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO GO BACK
TO WORK.
FEELING MORE OPTIMISTIC.
AND I THINK THAT THAT’S A GOOD
THING, BUT WE ALSO ARE
RECOGNIZING THAT THERE ARE SO
MANY UNIQUE CRISES THAT WE ARE
CONFRONTING ALL AT ONCE RIGHT
NOW AND THAT’S WHY IT’S SO
IMPORTANT AS WE GET PEOPLE BACK
TO WORK, WE DO IT IN A WAY THEY
CAN BE SAFE AS EMPLOYEES, THAT
THE CUSTOMERS, THE GENERAL
PUBLIC CAN BE SAFE COMING IN AND
SO GETTING IT RIGHT.
GETTING THE PROTOCOLS RIGHT, THE
CADENCE IN TERMS OF DOING THIS
INCREMENTALLY INSTEAD OF
FLIPPING A SWITCH AND THINKING
LIFE IS BACK TO NORMAL.
IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT WE
CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE
SCIENCE.
LISTEN TO OUR EPIDEMIOLOGISTS.
WE’VE GOT SOME OF THE FINEST
LEADERS IN THE COUNTRY HERE IN
THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, AND
THAT’S WHO IS INFORMING ALL OF
THE WORK WE’RE DOING.
THAT’S WHY WE’VE SEEN MICHIGAN
TAKE A DRAMATIC CHANGE FROM
WHERE WE WERE IN TERMS OF
EXPONENTIAL GROWTH TO FLATTENING
THAT CURVE.
WE’VE GOT TO KEEP IT UP AND KEEP
PAYING ATTENTION TO THE SCIENCE
AND TO THE FACTS.
>> WELL, LET’S TALK ABOUT WHO
COVID HIT IN MICHIGAN.
MORE THAN 40% OF COVID DEATHS IN
YOUR STATE HAVE BEEN
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
DESPITE AFRICAN-AMERICANS ONLY
MAKING UP 14% OF YOUR
POPULATION.
THE VIRUS HAS CLEARLY PUT A
MAGNIFYING GLASS ON A PROBLEM
THAT ALREADY EXISTED ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
DO YOU HAVE A PLAN TO ADDRESS
THIS?
>> YES, SO I THINK MICHIGAN WAS
ONE OF THE FIRST STATES TO
RELEASE DATA AROUND THE RACIAL
MAKE-UP OF PEOPLE THAT WERE
TESTING FOR COVID-19.
MICHIGAN, LOUISIANA AND
ILLINOIS.
IT IS -- WE WERE ONE OF THE
FIRST STATES TO DO THAT.
WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE WE WERE SEEING THIS
DISCREPANCY AND IT HELPED US IN
TERMS OF COMMUNICATING WITH
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR TO HELP
ENINSUREEN
ENSUREEN
ENSURE THAT COMMUNITIES MOST AT
RISK.
OUR STATE’S FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR IS TAKING THIS ON AND
PULLING IN EXPERTS FROM ACROSS
THE STATE SO THAT WE’VE GOT
STRATEGIES COMING OUT OF THIS
MOMENT TO IMPROVE EQUITY IN
TERMS OF OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE’S
HEALTH.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE’VE
BEEN FOCUSED ON AS AN
ADMINISTRATION, BUT DEALING WITH
COVID-19, THIS IS A MIRROR
THAT’S BEEN HELD UP TO THE
UNITED STATES, AND WE HAVE A LOT
OF WORK TO DO.
PEOPLE TEND TO LOOK AT ALL OF
THE DEMONSTRATIONS THAT ARE
HAPPENING ACROSS THIS COUNTRY
AND LOOK AT COVID-19 AS THOUGH
THEY ARE TOTALLY UNRELATED
EVENTS, AND THEY ARE NOT.
THERE’S A VERY REAL LESSON HERE,
AND THAT IS, WE NEED ECQUITABLE
OPPORTUNITY AND PROTECTION FOR
EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHETHER IT’S COVID-19 OR POLICE
BRUTALITY, THESE ARE LESSONS