The fate of the ‘pause’ remains uncertain. The pause was the three-week moratorium the Michigan health department ordered which resulted in the stoppage of indoor dining at restaurants and bars and in-class instruction at high schools and colleges. It is scheduled to expire on December 8th. Governor Whitmer would say only that the situation is being closely monitored. She did say the surge in cases the state has seen must be taken seriously by all residents.
State health director Robert Gordon defended the shutdowns in a meeting with lawmakers and said there has been no decision whether they will be extended. He says every day of data the department can analyze is critical, especially as the Thanksgiving holiday may have skewed the state’s numbers.
Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Doctor Joneigh Khaldun also pointed out that many of the state’s hospitals, already near or at capacity, will be facing even more problems over the next month due to the expected Thanksgiving surge numbers.
The Governor warned the next eight weeks will be really difficult due to the predicted crowds gathering for Christmas and New Year’s.
The latest figures from the state health department show there were 7,146 new cases of the corona virus and another 175 deaths.
