NewsCoronavirus

Actions

Michigan governor says protests increase likelihood that stay-at-home orders could be extended

Michigan governor says protests increase likelihood that stay-at-home orders could be extended
Posted at 1:23 PM, May 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-13 14:23:21-04

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said recent protests at the state capitol in Lansing would likely result an extension of pandemic-related restrictions.

In an appearance on The View, Whitmer was asked about the Trump administration's response to the protests.

"These protests, in a perverse way, make it likelier we're going to have to stay in a stay-home posture," Whitmer said. "The whole point of them supposedly is that they don't want to be doing that."

There have been multiple protests at the state capitol in recent weeks against Whitmer's "Stay at Home" orders, which have been among the most restrictive in the country.

However, Whitmer noted that the rallies seem to extend beyond the pandemic. At least one demonstration saw protesters with military-style weapons enter the capitol building.

"These have been, really, political rallies, where people come with Confederate flags and Nazi symbolism and calling for violence. This is not appropriate in a global pandemic, but it's certainly not an exercise of democratic principles, where we have free speech. This is calls to violence," she said. "This is racist and misogynistic."

During the interview, she defended her stay-at-home order, saying the protests "undermine the effort."

"While I respect people's right to dissent, they need to do it in a way that is responsible and does not put others at risk," Whitmer said.

While Trump and other conservatives have called for a swift reopening of the country, polling shows that most Americans fear the country is moving to reopen too quickly.

This story was originally published by WXYZ in Detroit.

Coronavirus in Wisconsin

More data on Wisconsin's vaccination progress here.

Find a vaccination site here.

Check out county-by-county coronavirus case numbers here.

More information: COVID-19 on the Wisconsin DHS website

Latest news and headlines here.