AND WERE ALL WANTING TO DEFEAT THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANKS FOR YOUR i]KUFRBS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND JOINING ME NOW ARExì(LC GOVERNORS OF TWO STATES THATt(
HAVE SEEN AN ALARMING RISE IN
COVID-19 CASES.
COVID-19 CASES. GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER OF
MICHIGAN AND GOVERNOR JOHN BEL
EDWARDS OF LOUISIANA.
GOVERNORS, WELCOME TO BOTH OF
YOU.
YOU.
GOVERNOR EDWARDS, I SOLEMNLY WANT TO START WITH YOU.EMNLY
WANT TO START WITH YOU. SADLY, YOU HAD TO REPORT THAT
YOU HAD A STAFFER DIE FROM
CORONAVIRUS LAST fáNIGHT.
I JUST FIGURED I WOULD LET YOU
SAY A QUICK WORD ABOUT THAT.
>> WELL,e1 2(
APRIL WAS A TREMENDOUS ASSET TO
LOUISIANA.
LOUISIANA.
SHE WAS$8y VALUABLE MEMBER OF OU TEAM, SOMEONE THAT I WASER OF OU
TEAM, SOMEONE THAT I WAS ACTUALLY PERSONALLY FRIENDSe1 WI
AND HAD GONE TO CHURCH WITH.
AND SHE DIEDt( LAST EVENING ABOU
6:00.
6:00.
ANDq THIS SHOULD BE A REMINDER T EVERYONE JUST HOW SERIOUS, HOWe1
DEADLY COVID-19 IS.
ANDeO:Uz NEED TO DO EVERYTHING
THAT WE CANr
SPREAD, SLOW THE SPREAD, STAY
HOME.
HOME.
SLOW THE SPREAD AND SAVE LIVES.
AND YOU KNOW, THATS MY MESSAGE
TO THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA
TODAY.
>> GOVERNOR WHITMER, LET ME
START WITH YOU, TELL ME THE SITUATION IN DETROIT ME THE
SITUATION IN DETROIT SPECIFICALLY RIGHT NOW AND WHERE
MICHIGAN IS TODAY.
>> OUR NUMBERS ARE CLIMBING
WE TOOK AGGRESSIVE MEASURES.
WE HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT END OF
AGGRESSIVE MEASURES THAT STATES
HAVE BEEN TAKING, BUT WEÑi SEE
THISlp ASTRONOMICAL RISE.
WE HAVE HOSPITALS THAT ARE
ALREADY AT CAPACITY.
WERE RUNNING OUT OF PPE AS
WELL.
WELL.
IM GRATEFUL WE GOT A SHIPMENT FROM FEMA YESTERDAY FOR 112,000
z
z GOING TO BE IN DIRE STRAITS
AGAIN IN A MATTER OF DAYS SO
WERE KEEPING UP THE PRESSURE
AND WORKING 24/7 AT THE STATE
LEVEL, AND GRATEFUL THAT THERE
ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THAT AT
THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS WELL, BUT
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE
ON.
ON.
IT SHOULD BE EVERYONE FIGHTING COVID-19. BE EVERYONE FIGHTING
COVID-19.
EVERYONExD VERSUS COVID-19.
>> GOVERNOR EDWARDS, GIVE ME THE
■ORL
>> GOVERNOR EDWARDS, GIVE ME THE
SITUATION IN N1
■ORL
PARTICULAR, I THINK A LOT OF
FOLKS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF THE RURAL COMMUNITIESó OFME
OF THE RURAL COMMUNITIESó OF LOUISIANA.
LOUISIANA.
HOW QUICKLY DO YOU FEAR THAT
YOUR SYSTEM COULD áMY
OVERWHELMED?
>> WELL, WE HAVE THE CORONAVIRUS
NOW AND CASES IN 56 OF OUR 64 PARISHES.ASES IN 56 OF OUR 64
PARISHES.
SO WHILE THE HOTt( SPOT IS DOWN AROUND NEW ORLEANS, IT ISS DOWN
AROUND NEW ORLEANS, IT IS STATE-WIDE.
STATE-WIDE.
WE KNOW THAT IF WE DONT FLATTEN THE CURVE, WEREe1 ON A TRAJECTO
CURRENTLY TO EXCEED OUR CAPACITY
IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA FOR
VENTILATORS BY ABOUT APRIL 4th.o
WE HAVE BEEN DOING THATt( FOR MA DAYS HERE IN qLOUISIANA.
WERE IN+WzTORYING ALL OF OUR
HEALTH CARE CLINICS IN VARIOUS
SETTINGS TO FIND ANY BREATHING
DEVICE THAT CAN BE USED AS A
VENTILATOR.
VENTILATOR.
PERHAPS IT HAS TO BE RETROFITTED
OR MODIFIED IN SOME WAY.
WE HAVE EMT TYPE VENTILATOU THAT REALLY ARENT DESIGNED TO
BE USED IN HOSPITALS BUT THEY
CAN BE IF NECESSARY.
WERE ALSOóoM TRYING TO SEE IF
THERE ARE CERTAIN VENTDILATORS
THAT COULD SERVICE MORE THAN
ONCE PATIENT ATjfP TIME DEPENDIN
ON THEIR ACUITY okLEVEL.
WERE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN,
BUT WE HAVE ONLY BEEN ABLE TO
PROCURE 192 VENTILATORS OVER THE
LAST SEVERAL WEEKS WHEN WE HAD
ABOUT 12,000 ON e1ORDER.
>> GOVERNOR WHITMER, YOU SEEM TO
IMPLY LATE IN THE WEEK THAT YOU
THOUGHT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
OR PERHAPSó PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
PUNISHING MICHIGAN IN YOUR
ATTEMPTS TO PROCURE DIFFERENTe1
MEDICAL ITEMS.
MEDICAL ITEMS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY -- DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT ISeQdHAPPENING?ILL
BELIEVE THAT ISeQdHAPPENING? OR DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU WERE
MISTAKEN?
MISTAKEN?
>> NO, YOU KNOW, HERESfáq WHAT
SAID.
WHAT WE ARE DOING IS PLACING ALL
OF THESE ORDERS.
WE ARE CONTRACTING, WERE TRYING
TO PROCURE THIS, IN ADDITION TO
THE HELP WE NEEDxD FROM THEt( FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.FROM THEt(
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND LIKE MASSACHUSeá[S, LIKE NEW
YORK, LIKE CALIFORNIA, LIKE
PLACES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
WERE BIDDING AGAINST ONE
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER.
JP PRITZK[2 OF ILLINOIS ABOVED Ì%AT SAME THIn#pLLINOIS ABOVED
Ì%AT SAME THIn#p
THEN WE GET A NOTICE ITS BEING DIRECTED TO THE FEDERALS BEING
DIRECTED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT.
I THINK THATS A FRUSTRATION
THERES NOT ENOUGH VENTILATORS.
WE NEED THOUSANDS OF VENTILATORS
IN MICHIGAN.
THERES NOT ENOUGH N-95 MASKS.
WE HAVE GOT NURSES WHO ARE
YOU KNOW, WEVE GOT TO SLOW THE
SPREAD, AND THATS WHY, YOU
KNOW, THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS ASKING PEOPLE TO DO THEIR PART,
PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE
SERIOUSNESS OF THIS ISSUE.
ITS A NOVEL VIRUS WITH NO CURE,
NO VACCINE, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS
AND DEADLY.
AND DEADLY. NO ONE IS IMMUNE FROM THIS
+ o!%9
+ o!%9 THATS WHY STAYING AT HOME AND
KEEPING THE VIRUS FROM BEING
TRANSMITTED FROM PERSON TO
PERSON IS REALLY THE BEST TOOL
WE HAVE.
WE HAVE.
BUT WEVE GOT TO KEEP WORKING TO
GET ALL OF THESE OTHER PIECES OF
EQUIPMENT, AND WHEN WERE
BIDDING AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, ITS CREATING A LOT OGñxDHER,
ITS CREATING A LOT OGñxD FRUSTRATION AND CONCERN.
AND THATS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS
TRYING TO 5a■CONVEY.
AND SAME THING THATS BEEN
CONVEYED BY OTHERS ON BOTH SIDES
OF THE AISLE.
>> GOVERNOR WHITMER, IM JUST
CURIOUS.
CURIOUS.
THE PRESIDENT SEEMED TO DIRECT
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE TO NOT CALL
YOU, NOT TALK TO YOU.
BUT VICE PRESIDENT PENCE IS
TALKING TO YOU.
IS YOURx<IUR( WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT A GOODó WORKINGx
RELATIONSHIP?
RELATIONSHIP?
AND DO YOU -- ARE YOU GOING TO
ATTEMPT TO HEAL YOURxD
RELATIONSHIP WITHe1 THE PRESIDEN >> YOU rSHIP WITHe1 THE PRESIDEN
>> YOU r THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND THE STATE
LEVEL, THE STATES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, ARE WORKING xD24/7.e1
THIS IS A CHALLENGE.
THIS IS A MOMENT WHERE THE ENEMY
IS COVID-19.e1
IS COVID-19.e1 ITS NOT ONE ANOTHER, AND THATS
WHY IM GRATEFUL FOR THE c C1
PARTNERSHIP WEVE GOTTEN.
I HAVE TALKED% THE VICE
PRESIDENT A NUMBER OF TIMES,
WERE WORKING EVERYONE FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE ON DOWN THROUGH
FEMA, DHS, THE ARMY CORPS OFc
ENGINEERS, BECAUSE ITS GOT TO
BE ALL HANDS ON DECK.
WE ARE NOT ONE ANOTHERS
ENEMIES.
ENEMIES.
THE■nú ENEMY IS THE VIRUS.
AND IT IS SPREADING, AND IT IS
TAKING AMERICAN LIVES.
THATS PRECISELY WHY WE GOVERNORS ARE BANDING TOGETHER
WHERE WE CANt( TO TRY TO MAKE SU
THAT WE ARE ORGANIZED, WE ARE
LEARNING BEST PRACTICES FROM ONE
ANOTHER, SHARING INFORMATION,
AND WERE PROTECTING THE PEOPLE
OF OUR STATES.
>> GOVERNOR WHITMER OF MICHIGAN,
GOVERNOR EDWARDS OF LOUISIANA,
AGAIN, OUR CONDOLENCES FOR YOUR