West Michigan Deemed ‘Higher Risk’ For COVID-19 Spread

There’s been some confusion today as Michigan continues to see spikes in positive COVID-19 cases, especially here in West Michigan. The confusion comes as the MI Safe Start dashboard showed us moving back to Phase 3 of the state's re-opening plan, when in fact, we haven’t moved back, but we are deemed a 'higher risk' area.

WOODTV reports that Gov. Whitmer is urging people to keep their guard up as we roll through the holiday weekend. She also stated that she has no plans as of right now to change the restrictions currently in place for Michigan. She did say though that she won’t rule out a possible strengthening of restrictions if the spike in positive cases stays sustained.

She told WOODTV,

“We want to get a little bit more data. We want to have another modeling call this evening and I’ll be making some decisions in the next day or two as we go into the holiday weekend. We’re going to stay nimble. This is a dial. If we’re safe, we’ll dial it up. If we see risk, we’re going to dial it back, and that’s just how it’s going to be.”

The plan was to have the state in Phase 5 of the re-opening by this weekend, but over the last week both in Lansing and West Michigan, positive cases have gone up as indoor dining and bars were reopened.

As the Governor re-iterated to WOODTV, the coronavirus has not changed, but our knowledge about it has. This means we know more about how it’s spreading and that is why there is such a push right now for everyone to wear a mask because as she puts it, it’s a "change in culture but absolutely essential."

She also said that the stay at home order and wearing a face mask was nothing political, but in order for schools to reopen, in person, in the fall we have to have the virus under control and new cases have to continue to be minimal.

So I guess if you don’t like wearing a face mask, do you enjoy homeschooling your kids more? I know a lot of parents are ready to have their kids back in school come fall, so mask up everybody.