Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is facing an increasingly mainstream backlash against her stay-at-home orders, with a growing number of local officials and business leaders arguing the restrictions have outlived their usefulness.
FILE PHOTO: A protester holds a placard during a protest against Governor Gretchen Whitmer's extended stay-at-home orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease at the Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, U.S. May 14, 2020. REUTERS/Seth Herald
Rich Studley, CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, told Reuters that while the governor’s original stay-at-home order was timely and necessary, people were reaching a breaking point with its vague and shifting requirements. Whitmer, who according to polls remains popular in Michigan, on Monday announced a partial economic re-opening in 32 northern counties beginning Friday, acknowledging that those areas had not been severely impacted by the coronavirus.
Whitmer, who has been floated as a potential running mate for likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in November’s election, has acknowledged that the shutdown in swing state Michigan has been among the strictest in the country. The current stay-at-home order runs through May 28. Businessman Erik Kiilunen has been pushing for a “Take Yourself to Work Day” protest on that same day in which business owners simply open shop.
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