LANSING, Mich. — Thursday, Governor Whitmer announced her MI Safe Start Plan to reopen Michigan and re-engage the state's economy.
The governor said the state is currently in phase three.
The phases are:
- UNCONTROLLED GROWTH: The increasing number of new cases every day, overwhelming our health systems.
- PERSISTENT SPREAD: We continue to see high case levels with concern about health system capacity.
- FLATTENING: The epidemic is no longer increasing and the health-system's capacity is sufficient for current needs.
- IMPROVING: Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are clearly declining.
- CONTAINING: Continued case and death rate improvements, with outbreaks quickly contained.
- POST-PANDEMIC: Community spread not expected to return.
“As we move forward with the MI Safe Start Plan, I am working closely with partners in business, labor, and education to determine the best way to move forward each day," said Whitmer. "All of us know the importance of getting people back to work and the economy moving again. We’ve already reopened lower-risk sectors like construction, manufacturing, and lawn care."
►You can read the governor's full MI Safe Start Plan here.
►You can watch the governor's full press briefing from Thursday here.
The announcement came on the same day she extended the stay at home order until May 28.
“The worst thing we can do is open up in a way that causes a second wave of infections and death, puts health care workers at further risk, and wipes out all the progress we've made," Whitmer said. "That's why we will continue to monitor the spread of this virus, hospital capacity, testing rates, and more as we work toward reaching the ‘improving’ phase.”
As of Thursday, May 7, the state is reporting at total of 45,646 cases and 4,343 deaths. There are 592 new cases of the virus and 93 new deaths.
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