School buildings closed through the remainder of the academic year. She also urged the state legislature, extending the emergency declaration. This is 30 minutes. Gov whitmer thank you all for joining us. I am here with dr. Calhoun. Since monday, we have taken a number of action we have received 400 ventilators from the Strategic National stockpile on tuesday. I spoke with the president , and he more are on the way, and that is great. We are grateful, but we still need a lot more. We recently announced that detroit will be one of the first cities in america to receive five testing machines and 5000 kits from abbott labs. The mayor announced that yesterday. These tests will be used to test fire, ems, and ddot workers. It produces results in 15 minutes, and that is fantastic. Each machine does one sample at a time, so detroit will have the capacity to do 20 to 50 results per hour, and that is why it has to be focused on the frontline. Providers. On monday, President Trump granted my request for a formal mission to allocate 3000 members of the Michigan Army for up to 90 days to perform humanitarian missions across the state. Our National Guardsmen and women will do things like help run a mobile screening facilities, distribute food and medical supplies, insure resiliency and supply lines, disinfect public spaces, and support Public Safety when required. Executive orders. I have formally declared a state of disaster and sent a letter to Senate Majority leader mike ,harkey and the House Speaker requesting a concurrent solution extending the state of emergency by seven days. We have suspended the requirement for lower vapor gasoline and paste a temporary restriction on nonessential veterinary procedures during the pandemic. Businesses have stepped up and we are grateful. All are working on one or more of the following, face shields, respirators, masks, and ventilators. The town casino has stepped up and is putting First Responders up, so they do not have to worry about threatening their families, and thats a wonderful thing they are doing to support the frontline and detroit. Delta airlines is providing free flights for medical professionals to travel to areas that need help, and we know that michigan is one of those areas. We are grateful for the partnership. Magnum tools and romulus are making countertops for businesses in the area to protect employees and patrons. Great lakes wine and spirits has begun working with local restaurants to send two meals a week home for employees and their families, and high velocity sports will offer a drivethrough for anyone on weekdays. We are grateful that so many michigan businesses are doing their part, large and Small Businesses alike. We have updated our numbers. As of yesterday, about 3 00, we had 9334 cases, 337 deaths. I think it is incumbent upon every one of us to remember that each of those people was a michigander with a story, with family and friends who cannot be them as we traditionally would, because we cannot congregate. This is what is at stake, michigan lives. Michigan is a hotspot for covid19 cases. We are on the upswing. Our numbers continue to climb every day. We have had 3000 more positive cases since i last sat in this chair on monday. We know that the apex will not end until the beginning of may. So in over a month, we will hit the height of this. I needed to reiterate that no one is immune from this virus. People of all ages and all walks of life are testing positive across our state every single day. This virus moves easily from person to person. Even if you dont feel sick, you could be carrying it. I was struck by one of the stories i saw on the news just this morning of a special education teacher, who was 30 years old, who passed away after three days of combating the symptoms of covid19. His wife had it as well but hardly had a fever. Each of us responds differently to this disease, and that is why we all must act as though we could be carrying it. And stay home. Just one person with this virus could infect another 40, and then in turn, they could infect 1000 more. We must do everything we can to protect our families, our communities, our dedicated health professionals, and everyone on the frontline. Covid19 will touch every one of our lives in some way or another , so we all must do our part. Today, i am signing an executive order close School Buildings for to students for the remainder of the calendar year. The School Calendar year. All inperson instruction for k12 students will be suspended, and all School Buildings will be closed for the remainder of this school year. This does not mean our kids will stop learning. Each district must develop and an alternative learning plan. To educate their students at this time. Plans will be different, based on district. They will be locally driven and reflect the best interest of the kids in their communities. That means learning by phone or mail or online, that means projectbased learning, things paper packets, things that can be used as alternative modes of delivery instruction. Districts must make sure that their plans are appropriate and accessible for families in their schools. If the plan relies on some online instruction, the district should ensure that every student has access to an appropriate device. With an ability to connect to the internet. Students and families will not be punished if they are unable to participate in their alternate learning plan. My personal intent is to ensure and implore all districts have a plan so that graduating seniors of 2020 graduate on time. Our dedicated teachers, custodial, and cafeteria workers will be paid for the remainder of the school year. I know this is hard, and i know that this raises a lot of questions, from parents and students. I was getting Text Messages from my own child before i came out here, asking about how this is going to work. I know there is a lot of anxiety about how we are going to move forward to meet the needs of our kids. I feel it, too. As a parent of two high schoolers, both of whom are going to miss out on from this year, i have a senior who is asking the same questions about graduation, we feel it in our own household. But this is the best thing we can do for our children, for the tens of thousands of educators in michigan who work in our schools. This will ensure more kids and educators will return to school happy and healthy at the start of next school year. It will protect more families from the spread of covid19. And it will help us return to life sooner. Over the past few weeks, weve seen teachers across our state step up and find creative ways to continue reaching their students, like mrs. Wilson from st. Johns, who wrote letters to class, to lete them know she is thinking of them. Or those providing meals to families, hosting zoom calls, and sending notes to students. To my friend, mrs. Johnson, a kindergarten teacher, she and her colleagues drove through neighborhoods and waving at students. It took them two hours, but they wanted to make sure students knew they were there for them. Like lauren from stony creek, who has created a virtual band room for her students, setting up time for them to collaborate with professional musicians. And nora in detroit, who makes daily video lessons for her kids while her husband, lane, a district chef, is helping provide meals for families who need them. Showing ars are our teachers number oneent f r priority is ensuring a great education and Healthy Learning environment for our kids. I know this will be tough, and it will require creativity and hard work and problemsolving. But my time in public service, ive met educators across our state who i know are eager to rise to this challenge. Our teachers are some of the hardest working people i know. I know that they will help guide our students through this tough time. And i will do everything in my power to support them and help guide them through this. I also want to take a moment to thank michigan parents, parents who have spent every day with their kids, trying to keep them entertained and inspired, trying to keep them reading and working on math or science with them. Being a parent is one of the hardest and one of the best jobs there is. Im grateful for those of you who have continued to work from home and take care of your kids. I know its hard, and when your kids get older, they will remember these days, when they got to spend a little more time with their parents. Theyll remember the activities that you did together. They will be grateful, ultimately, that we all pulled together to meet their needs. Im imploring you also to make sure that, as you are engaging with your kids, that youre educating them in an ageappropriate manner, and how to learn about what is happening in our world right now and how to cope with it. These last few weeks have been tough for michiganders. They been tough for all americans. But we know, right here in michigan, we have got a big challenge. Our families, our workers, and all of our Mental Health has been stretched. This is a challenge unlike anything we have ever faced before. I know many of you to and in every week, hoping for good news, hoping ill Say Something that shows were ready to turn back to life as normal. I ask that until that day comes, you keep making smart choices. I ask that everyone who can volunteer in Health Care Centers or donate blood or money to their food bank or medical supplies, visit michigan. Gov fightcovid19. Stay home. Stay safe. And every day that you do, we will get one step closer to the end. The hardworking men and women in our grocery stores, at kroger and at elsewhere, and people making sure we have food. I want to think Editorial Services cleaning these environments, so that when we are out, were safer. I want to thank the teachers and our nurses and doctors, respiratory therapists, and everyone in our health care system. With that, i want to turn it over to the person i learned the most from, dr. Jenae calhoun, our chief medical executive. Calhoun thank you, governor. Covid19 continues to be a Huge Public Health crisis. Were not sure of the exact date when cases are going to peak, but we are still on the upslope. We have mor identified more new cases each day over the past few days. As of yesterday, as the governor mentioned, michigan had 9334 cases and 337 deaths. We expect to announce more cases and more deaths later today. Weve talked a lot about articles when it comes to the Public Health strategy in michigan. We do not have a vaccine and we , and we dont have an antiviral treatment. Because of that, social distancing is the one thing we must do and do very well to get ahead of this virus. We must prevent as many as possible from getting this disease. The elderly and those who have underlying medical conditions. We also have to understand that no one is immune. There are people who are young. There are people who do not have underlying medical conditions who are getting sick and are dying. We must heed the executive order to stay home in a safe space. People must stay home if they are sick. We have evidence that even if you feel well, you could still be spreading the disease to others. Do not leave your house unless you absolutely must. And maintain social distancing while you are out. Thelso that hospitals have ability to take care of the sick. We know that many of our hospitals on the front lines, taking care of patients, are at capacity right now. Intensive care units are full, hospitals are running low on masks and gowns, and if they have them, some are needing to reuse that between patients. We also know some are running low on critical medications like albuterol and sedation medications, medications that are necessary to help people breathe or make sure they are safely maintained on a ventilator, while their body is recovering from the coronavirus. The state is working as hard as it can to support our hospitals. Ive truly been humbled by the number of people who have reached out to get masks or volunteer their services. Our colleagues in the federal government have been listening , and they have sent us some supplies, although we know it will not be enough. We will work around the clock to get our hospitals the supplies that they need. Weve also identified that tcf center in detroit as a site for some patients who have covid19. Given the trajectory of covid19 in the state, we will likely need additional facilities. We will also need additional medical professionals, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and othersssistants, who staff them. Please, if you have the skills and are available, go to our website, www. Michigan. Gov fightcovid19 to sign up. The next few weeks are going to be difficult. Some of the most difficult we have ever faced. I encourage everyone to take this seriously and to heed the governors orders to stay home and stay safe. I will turn it back over to the governor. Gov. Whitmer ok, and with that, ill open it up to some questions. Can you speak a little bit about how this decision was reached to close the schools . I know its been several weeks. Parents have been wondering when you were going to make a decision. What was the deciding factor . Gov. Whitmer i will repeat the questions. I have gotten feedback that it is hard to hear the questions. So, how did we arrive at this decision on the school year . Not lightly, ill tell you that. The decision to pull our kids out of school was made based on communication with our chief sawcal executive, as we covid19 start to spread across the country. We know that schools are places where kids congregate. They bring things from home, and then they bring things from home, so its important we pull our kids out. Have seen other places end the school year, but before we made any pronouncements, we had a plan. It was a plan that took into account that we have 1. 5 million children in michigan in our pupil count. Sds in got 56 i michigan, and each has their own set of assets and their own set of challenges. Thats precisely why, when a pronouncement was made, that we take these things into consideration, talking with our department of education, talking with the leaders in the legislature, both sides of the aisle, talking with frontline educators, the true experts here. This we think now is the right moment to say heres how we anticipate moving forward to meet the needs of our kids. This is how were empowering School Districts. This is how we are leaving some of the restrictive things, and s that people are grappling with, how do we cope with this . And this is how we can, as a state, start to move forward on individualized plans for districts, so they have the tools to meet their kids that they serve. There are parents right now who are obviously home, because they cant go, because of the previous executive orders. But at some point, what happens when you have all the students who are out of school, because their School Buildings are closed, but parents now might be let back to go to work . How does that factor into your decision, and what do you anticipate Going Forward for that . Gov. Whitmer at this juncture, we think were probably a good month out from the apex of covid19. This disease is spreading very fast here in michigan. We dont have enough tests to really have confidence that we know precisely how many people are carrying covid19. Thats why weve had to take such aggressive steps to mitigate the spread of this. With regard to whether theres a lag between when parents are back to work and kids are back in the classroom, thats a real possibility. But at this point, our decisions have to be made centered with what is in the best interest of the health of our kids and families and teachers. Thats precisely why we think this is the right step now. If perchance the world can go back to normal before the end of this calendar year, that would be a great issue that we would have to confront. But this point in time, the most responsible thing we can do is to move forward, to work with isds and local districts to fashion a plan that meets the needs of the kids that we serve. Governor, at least one of the legislatures Republican Leaders has said that hes not ready to agree to your request for an extension of the executive order. What are your thoughts on that , and where do those discussions stand . Gov. Whitmer well, a couple of things. You know, michigan is on the front end of taking aggressive steps. It is the smartest thing we can do. We finally see other states following suit. Thats good. Theyre a little bit late to the science and to the tough decisions that executives need to be making. We are not near the end of covid19 in the state of michigan. As we stated, as we look at modeling, we know that we are in for a tough three, four, five, six weeks here in front of us. We are far from out of the emergency that we find ourselves in. Weve got to retain every tool we can to combat covid19 to keep people safe. But legislatures insistence on coming in next week is something implored them not to do. We already lost a member to suspected covid19. A person of the 110member house has lost their lives already. Its inadvisable for them to congregate and start meeting. The best thing we can do is to say this new order, we have to come back for at least 28 days. Make sure when they do come back, that we have an emergency extension for as long as 70 days as is necessary. If its not, great, but lets go the route we need to take to protect people. This emergency powers, they been used many times before, not in a situation like this, i grant it, but in less less serious times, they extend much longer than 70 days. For a sinkhole, for instance, for the crisis in flint, you know. This is a time where we have a unique crisis on our hands. People are dying in our state. Its important we have the protections for healthcare workers, and that all depends on extending this emergency. I asked the legislature think seriously about embracing this 70day extension. It doesnt mean its embracing a 70day extension for every other order ive issued. It simply means we acknowledged we are going to be in this emergency, and we are going to have unique powers during this time to combat covid19 and to save lives. Going back to the schools topic, a lot of parents are confused about what this means in terms of advancing their kids for the next year or not. I know you said it was important to get those graduating seniors through, as well. So can you tell parents what their options are in terms of continuing this school year and then advancing to the next clear . Gov. Whitmer yeah, so they will be working with their districts. This does not mean, you know, what we want to make sure is no student is penalized because of covid19, that they are not held back because of this Global Crisis that were confronting. And thats precisely why were encouraging districts to put Distance Learning plans, so they are meeting the needs, acknowledging some of the challenges within the School District, so every district has the ability to move on to the next grade. We also need to recognize there will be some challenges and Additional Needs this fall when school resumes. That is precisely why working with the legislature is on this is important as we think about resuming them in the fall. You mentioned the fall and coming back. If districts have different plans, they have different access, so you can have a district where most people have access to pretty highperforming districts. You also have districts where there access isnt there, whether its rural or urban settings, are you concerned about the gap that could be created in the next month or two, and then expanding on that, in the fall . And what conversations need to be had about adjusting the some of the standards for what thirdgraders are supposed to know, what fifthgraders are supposed to know whenever we get back . Gov. Whitmer i appreciate the question. Youre touching on the challenge we have, with over 900 School Districts across the state, 56 isds. We know that if you are in one part of our state or another, it can be vastly different access to resources, to broadband, to all of the kind of different challenges that districts have. Theyre not uniform. Thats precisely why ive been, for two years in a row, pushing an equitable formula in the education budget. We know that districts do not have equitable access to all of these things. Thats why its not onesizefitsall. It has to be determined at the local level, so that the needs of kids are met, acknowledging the unique challenges that districts are confronting across different parts of our state. What were you thinking about in terms of a start date for the coming school year . Gov. Whitmer well, i think we are it is just, you know, we are making decisions right here and now based on the best science and the best data that we can get our hands on. We need more testing. We need to be doing robust testing in order to really assess when and how it safe to resume life. And that includes what School Looks Like in the fall. At this juncture, what we know is that it will be too dangerous to have our kids congregating in schools across the state right now. Thats going to be true for the foreseeable future. Thats why the time to move forward with a distancelearning plan for our children, because we acknowledge that if we dont hit our apex until late april or midmay, the school year is pretty much over at that juncture, and thats why we cant wait to see what happens. We have got to make plans to meet the needs of our kids. As far as what the fall looks like, i dont think we can, with any certainty, say we need to start precisely on this day. We are giving districts some flexibility, though. We have gotten rid of standardized testing requirements. If they want to move to a balanced calendar, they have the ability. We need to work with legislature to make sure weve got Additional Resources to support the unique challenges schools are going to want to meet and are going to need to be devising at the local level. And so i think those are all factors that would go into , you know, answering your question. But i think that working with the people on the ground, the true experts in education, of their student bodies, is how we proceed and get the best results for our kids. We have got a lot of people on Facebook Live asking about unemployment. We have heard that hundreds of thousands of people have been applying for it, but they are either not getting a response or having a hard time getting the assistance that theyve been meeting as a result of covid19. Can you give us an update on if theres going to be any changes to the system, if there will be an Unemployment Task force, anything to support the people of michigan who have been affected by this . Gov. Whitmer each of these orders that have issued ive said it before, and its worth repeating they weigh heavily on me. There are a lot of people unemployed and the anxiety that comes with that, trying to confront with people completely beentem that has completely overwhelmed, because there are so many unemployed. Its not just michigan, but across the country. Our system has been able to stand up to the demand, but it does need support, and were working on that. In the interim, what weve done is release and loosen some of the previously required actions on behalf of applecare. So, a used to be you had to get documentation from your former employer to be eligible. We said we were going to make it easier for people to apply. My encouragement for folks is that, keep attempting to get that application in, but know that we understand the incredible strain on the system, the incredible number of people impacted, but we are going to work to ensure people get the unemployment that they need to get through this crisis. We are seeing questions about masks and whether people should be Wearing Masks whether they when they are out in public. Now they are starting to require masks. Is there any consideration as to making such a requirement here in michigan . Gov. Whitmer i am going to hand. Hat one to dr. Anthone dr. Kha dr. Khaldun theres no question that our frontline hospital workers dont have enough masks. If there is an n95 mask or surgical mask, we wanted to go to our hospital partners. That said, if people have a mask at home or they might be able to mask out of a closet or bandana, if they can, they should consider it. It certainly wont cause any harm. Has there been any consideration of a curfew, state wide curfew . Gov. Whitmer we have not discussed a statewide curfew at this juncture. I will say that the exponential growth of covid19 is something we are all very concerned about. We know the hospitals are at capacity in many parts of our state. We know that this great testing that is was set up in the city of detroit has shown there was a much higher prevalence of covid19 than i think anyone anticipated. The more testing we do, the better. We see numbers going up and that is concerning for people. The more testing we do, the better handle we can get on how prevalent this is and make educated decisions. I know that mayor of flint went forward with a curfew this week. That is being talked about in our sister states. At this juncture, we have not had that conversation. We are anticipating and analyzing each of the actions other areas are taken to be aggressive and to be on the forefront. So, i would anticipate a conversation about that, but theres not been one yet, and theres not a decision right now either. Are stillldun, we seeing lots of people congregating in public spaces still open despite the social distancing recommendations. Can you just reiterate the importance of continuing to social distance during this time . Dr. Khaldun absolutely. So the question is people are still congregating. Thats just absolutely unacceptable. This is so incredibly important that people stay home. No one is immune. You can be 25 years old, healthy, no medical problems, you can easily get the coronavirus, and you can potentially die. I need everyone to understand that this is incredibly serious. Take it seriously. Stay home and stay safe. There are a number of students who have special Needs Services that are provided through the schools, ieps, etc. Can you talk a little bit about what you expect of districts and to work with those students in the wide variety of services they provide . Are there exemptions for those services . Gov. Whitmer we recognize there are students with special needs across michigan, and we went districts to support students fullestr ieps to the extent that they are able. We recognize there are unique challenges in a situation where you cant have persontoperson contact, and that is something that is an issue. If the Student Needs Occupational Therapy services, it may require that additional sessions will be needed after the state of emergency is over, and we are mindful of that. And when this executive order expires, that is something we that i think we will continue to work on. Those services are not canceled. They may need to be delayed, but we anticipate living up to the ieps that our students rely on, that our families rely on, as well. On the school year, what other options, if any, did you consider . Gov. Whitmer i dont know that there are a lot of great other great options. I think the question was how do we ensure we are empowering districts to meet the challenges that they confront and make use of assets that they might have available . I think the biggest challenge, rick, is that with the disparate , you know, educational system that we have in michigan, that there are very different challenges across our state. And is not just flipping a switch and saying everyone can go online, because broadband is not available in all areas. Not every child has access to a device. Not every School District has the ability to devise and instruct an online course that meets the needs of the kids. Thats why this really has to be in Close Partnership with the local leadership, to ensure that each child has access to the kind of Distance Learning that theyre going to need. All right. Thank you. Gov. Whitmer thank you, everybody. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] cspan has round the clock coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, and it is all available ondemand at cspan. Org coronavirus. Track the spread around the u. S. In the world with interactive maps. Onch anytime, unfiltered, cspan. Org coronavirus. Sunday, on q a, he has been on the front lines as a prominent member of the White House Coronavirus tax course. When you are dealing with the interface, politics, policy, and medicine, the thing i have found is be consistent, be totally honest, and dont tell people things that you think they might want to hear, tell them the truth that is based on evidence, because even though politicians, be they in the administration, the congress, may not be happy with what you tell that because it disappoints them, they will respect you, if after a wild, it is clear to them that you are telling them that truth based on scientific evidence. Profile dr. Anthony fauci, director of the National Institute of allergy and infectious diseases, looking at his, personal life his relationship with past president s, and his career fighting infectious diseases, hiv, sars, h1n1, and now the global coronavirus
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