Officials, the local emergency center, the Michigan National guard, the Michigan State police, the dnr, and eagle departments, and the federal government to ensure that Midland County families, who have been impacted by the flooding, have the support they need. Thanking ourrt by first responders, who did heroic work in the late hours in the midst of a global pandemic, to get people out and keep them safe. 10,000 people were evacuated, and it is truly a testament to the people of the area, but also the first responders. I want to thank people on the ground who have been helping one another. When i toured the shelter yesterday, it was incredible to see the spirit of the community and the volunteering and the attitude they are all in this together. We truly are, and thank you for inspiring me in these challenging days. Serbiannt to thank our our urban search and rescue team. They had been working hard to make sure we are keeping people out of harms way. Last night, i sent a letter to President Trump requesting a federal Emergency Declaration to ensure we have the support we need to protect midland area residents. I am hopeful that he is coming to our state, it would be great if he signed the Emergency Declaration. That is my hope. I have traveled to see the impacted areas yesterday, and to survey the damage. I could tell you i have used this phrase over the last 10 weeks, but this is unlike anything we have seen before. The damage is truly devastating to see how high the water levels are, to see roofs barely visible in parts of midland, and to see a lake that is been trained in one part. Much damageable how we have sustained wouldve the most remarkable thing i saw yesterday were people stepping up to help one another and take care of one another. If you know someone who lives in the impacted area, please reach out. Please make sure they are safe. Someone shared a story with me yesterday that there was a family who had recently moved into the area, and did not know people around their home. Another person said, i have a place that i am not using up north. Maybe they could use that. It is generosity like this in these times of great need that truly inspires everyone else around them, me included. So, if you know someone who has been impacted, please reach out. Michiganders and it is more important than ever that we remember that first and foremost, and that we take care of one another. This is truly a crisis in the middle of a crisis. If you are one of the residents in the impacted area, especially if you are in a shelter, please take precautions to protect yourself and continue to wear masks, stay six feet apart, wash your hands. We dont want the threat of covid19 to grow, especially in a region we have had to move people around so much. Take care of yourself and seek the help that you need. There is a lot available pear released, michigans unemployment numbers. To say they are high is an understatement. This virus has devastated families across our state and put a lot of hardworking michiganders out of work. I will continue to work around the clock to ensure that everyone who qualifies for Unemployment Benefits receives them. But this isnt just a problem here in michigan. Families across our country need help. We are counting on the federal government to Work Together to provide additional flexibility for states like michigan. And states all across the country to continue being able to support essential services, Like Health Care and education and police and fire, public safety. So, we can all get through this together. Thatnday, i announced retail can be opened with limited capacity and strict observation of best practices and office work that cannot be done remotely. These regions stand apart from the rest of the state in terms of covid19 indicators. They showed the lowest cases per capita by a wide margin. They have extremely low deaths per capita. Low and declining cases of covid19. Low and declining needs for hospital caseloads. Of four or per day fewer. As i make future determinations about other regions in the stay, these are the types of data points that my team and i are looking at. As the doctor said the other day, context as well. There are a lot of different assessments i go to determine the level of risk, and how safely we can continue to move forward. Today, i signed a number of orders that will phase in additional sectors of our economy. The data has shown all regions of michigan are ready for us to take this small step forward. We are doing this incrementally, as i settle multiple occasions. It is like a dial we are turning, not a switch we flip. Todays actions include, a repeal of the rule requiring nonessential medical and dental services to be temporarily delayed. We are repealing that. The statewide reopening of auto showrooms will be permitted by appointment only. Butwing retail statewide, on an appointment only basis, provided the Stores Limited to 10 customers at any one time. The congregation of people inside is dangerous, so that is why the appointment only rule will help reopen segments of our economy. All of you pet owners, the return of veterinary services. If your dog is shaggy like my little boy kevin, that may be welcome news to some of you. The order also allows gatherings of 10 people or less, as long as people continue to practice socialdistancing. Where your masks wear your masks. These new provisions are effective immediately. As with previous announcements, businesses that reopen must measures safe, strict to protect employees, customers, clients, and patients. So, this is another positive step forward in every engagement. We have taken significant steps forward to reengage our economy safely and responsibly over the past few weeks. Now, we will need to take some time to ensure these new measures are working. We know that covid19 takes about two weeks to really see the impact of changes in our behavior. That is why we are counting on everyone to keep doing your part. We want to continue turning this dial, or we will state tethered to the data and epidemiology to know when it is safe to do that, so please, as you are reading changing in some of these activities, be smart. Continue to do your part. We cannot drop our guard and run the risk of the second wave. So, this also means we will have another shortterm, temporary extension of the safer athome order, will likely be necessary, and you will hear about that in the coming days, but what we are announcing today is good news, and the most important thing right now is to listen to the experts and follow the medical science. This will not look like business as usual, but will start to look a little more normal. Employees will have to wear personal protective equipment and maintain socialdistancing to the best of their ability. We all know memorial day is approaching fast. And i want to remind everyone to be safe. You can take the boat out. You can have a beer and grill some burgers. Or have a water balloon fight with your children. But please remember to stay safe. This virus is still present in michigan. So when youre celebrating, do it wisely. I will have more to say in the coming days about what michiganders can do to celebrate memorial day we can safely. All of us know the importance of getting back to work and getting the economy moving again. We have already loosened some restriction on construction, manufacturing, and lawncare, but what we dont want to do Assembly Drop all of our guard. But we dont want to do is to simply just reengage as though nothing has changed. Life has changed, and it is important that we change along with it, so we can safely get back to some normalcy. Crisisl heroes of this are our medical workers, first responders, sanitation workers, our daycare providers, our energy workers, those keeping our utilities on and running, our Grocery Store workers. There is no shortage of people who are continuing to step up. Later today, i will go over to a school to help distribute food. Our educators are working. We owe it to all of them to do our parts to keep them safe and to keep our family safe. So, keep your guard up. I hope that you have a safe holiday weekend. You that, i just ask that remember to be smart, and remember you are safer athome. With that, i would like to ask the doctor to come up and join me and speak with you now. Thank you. Doctor governor, thank you for having me here today, and thank you for your service to michigan during these unprecedented times. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be here on behalf of michigan on Physician Community because to put it plainly, we would like to get back to taking care of our patients and catching up on a lot of work that is been put on hold. For many, the response to the covid19 pandemic has brought life as we know it to a standstill. In michigans Health Care Community has been in a unique position. Many of my colleagues have been on the front lines of treating patients with covid19. For them, the hours have been long and exhausting. With great risk to their own health and safety. Yet, they rose to meet these needs of sick patients. Many of my other colleagues, however, like much of the state, have been staying at home are a trying to take care of their patients with telemedicine, using technology, like facetime, zoom, and the good oldfashioned telephone power in talking to patients on a screen doing their best to make accurate diagnoses without the benefit of a physical exam, postponing procedures, and worrying about their patients as well is the future of the practices. Physicians, nurses, dentists, and others rule out our Health Care System have answered the call in helping the sickest of the sick. Now with this announcement that allows us to resume taking care of our patients in ways that are much more effective at healing them, we are ready to get michigan healthy and well again. The physician patient relationship is a crucial one. It is built on openness, trust, and care. Weht now, many people arent worried about covid19 and how it may affect them. They are also worried about their safety and getting routine care. To those in michigan needing medical care, my message is clear will call your doctor. We are ready to see you. With a governors announcement today, we are able to safely welcome you to our offices to answer your questions, and provide the care that you need. Covid19 will be with us for a while. We and all businesses must remain vigilant and follow the guidelines outlined by the governor and our Public Health officials. Following these guidelines, we can get back to taking care of our patients and get michigan back to work in a way that is safe. Governor, physicians and nurses have stood with you and with michigan residents finding covid19. We remain on your side as we enter this important phase of patient care. Thank you. Thank you governor wittner for your leadership during this crisis, and thank you for advancing the process of getting michigan back to work. We are really excited to open up our showrooms for appointments next tuesday, and start selling more vehicles again. It sure feels good to share that news. People of detroit and throughout michigan love their cars and trucks, and we are here for them whenever their vehicle Needs Service or replacement. Car manufacturing and car sales drive our state economy. Automobile dealers are honored to be involved in the early stages of moving our economy forward. , normalcult times activities of life are often viewed in a new light. Things we used to do every day and take for granted become really exciting. Like dining at your favorite restaurant or dropping by your local hardware store, or for many of us, opening up our doors to customers again, takes on a whole new meaning. As the owner of a ford dealership for the past 33 years, this experience makes me appreciate all that we have built together with our employees and customers a great deal more. As we move forward to reopen our showrooms, we fully understand the responsibility we have to the health and safety of our employees and our customers. Beyond, allbove and recommended safety protocols. We also understand how we operate and behave will impact all residents of michigan, as well is influence of businesses seeking to reopen in the near future. Updatinge look forward our plan for the great Detroit Auto Show in june, 2021. Our dealers and residents of michigan will all be ready. Thank you very much. Thank you, Governor Whitmer for allowing me to participate in todays state update. I appreciate your leadership during these challenging times, and the work you have done to protect michigan residents throughout the state. We look forward to continuing to work toward a safe reopening of our state. The transportation and Automotive Industry have been apart of michigans economy for years. Even in times of crisis, the Automotive Industry has played a crucial role in keeping our state mobilized. Thank you for knowledge inc. Michigans transportation sector is essential for michigan residents at this crucial time. Since the pandemic began, workers at the dealerships parts and repair facilities have been designated as part of the essential workforce. We have been able to provide products and transportation for health care and emergency workers. We have been able to provide transportation for the residents of the state, who need food and medicine, and other necessities. I would like to take a moment to recognize the dealership frontline workers. The service writers, the technicians, the Facilities Maintenance program, the maintenance personnel and repair and service, Motor Vehicles were customers, and the staff who guide customers through this these new processes. Have stepped up, adapted to unique circumstances, requiring heightened awareness, and made these procedures work safely. The dedication has been part of the process that has enabled us to move to the next step. We look forward to bringing the same level of service to customers were invited to come back in person to our showrooms. We have the processes in place, we have the inventory to offer, and we are excited to open our showrooms for you. Again, thank you, Governor Whitmer for this opportunity to and carefullyle get back to work. Thank you. Ey morning, and thank you, Governor Whitmer for inviting me here today. My name is Patti Roberts and i am a smallbusiness Business Owner of a retail store in lansing, michigan mo once upon a time. As a small Business Owner, we have experienced challenges over the past nine weeks. We are excited to open our doors backup to interact with our customers again in person. The health and safety of our employees and patrons are our number one priority. ,e will be requiring masks socialdistancing, and occupancy limits. We are proud to be a part Governor Whitmers steps to reengaging michigan. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate all of you being here, and i appreciate you are taking every effort to keep your employees and customers safe. That is paramount for all of us and we are excited. For those of you who question how i am excited about moving forward. I said that all of these things take effect immediately. I want to make sure i am clear and that i correct that statement. 10 or less, gatherings of 10 or less does take effect immediately. By auto showrooms appointment and retail by appointment begins may 26. And medical and dental and Veterinarian Services begin may 29. I just wanted to clear that up because it is important that i recognize when i have made a our employers and businesses can take the time they need in order to ensure that their places of business will be safer there employees and customers. We all want to get this right, and we are excited about taking this next step, and that is the timeline. With that, lets open it up for some questions. Reporter governor, you mention some form of extension of the stayathome order would like the be necessary. Does that mean it could still be a while before bars and restaurants outside of northern michigan, nail and hair salons, gyms, and other businesses that were not included in your list today could reopen . Included that are not on the list today are not included. Coronavirus takes two weeks. An actionn you take and the result of that action generates a two week timeframe. We have taken a lot of steps in the last few weeks the reengagement of construction, manufacturing, the reengagement of retail by appointment, the reengagement of medical, and we are taking a lot of steps. We have to take a pause and see what it means in terms of what happens with covid19 numbers, and the potential spread of covid19. What we know is that this virus is still very present in the best majority of our state, so we are asking people to be really smart as we take the steps so we dont have to take a step backwards. I will let you know when the next step forward is. We will continue to watch the a, monitor hotspot rates hospitalization rates and stay very close to our local Public Health department to get a real handle on what covid19 looks like as we determine our next steps. Morans a followup on question. What was the thinking behind allowing medical and dental services, some retail, but not, including bars and restaurants in that group . Inherentassessed risk with different sectors of our phasey with the six step in plan, you know there are certain activities that are riskier. When you talk about the health care people, whether it is optometry appointments, or dentistry appointments, or a , or notf other examples in immediate emergency, but something that can impact your health if you go too long without getting it addressed parties we have lit up are stores of ppe without getting it addressed. We have stored up ppe. We know that putting these things off too long comes with an Additional Health consequence. That is why we wanted to recognize this is a move we can safely make now. Now, we are working closely with our doctors. We want to get this ride, but with the additional ppe, and the time to implement strategies in our offices, our health care offices, we believe that this is a safe and necessary step to take because we dont want people putting off some of these more routine, regular atmosphere events that need to be seen. Reporter governor, you spoke with President Trump yesterday about the flooding situation in the midland area. Can you elaborate a little bit on what you discussed, whether anything else came up, and could you say whether you would accompany the president if he does decide to tour the scene in midland . Gov. Witmer we reached out to the white house yesterday morning, and try to get a call scheduled, and it came in late yesterday afternoon. It was a brief call, but we did talk about what was happening in midland and he asked about casualties, asked about the extent of the damage. I confirmed that fema had been ,n hand, the regional partner and james joseph has been someone who i have gotten to know very well, so they have been helpful and he said the federal government will do what they can to help us. I sent the letter last night very i hope that he will sign it. I think that will be a great thing. He did say if i have an opportunity to go to midland, would you join me and he said them of course i would. Reporter are you aware of any kind of tentative schedule for that midland trip . Gov. Witmer im not. Reporter talking about midland, we know that schools shelters have been created. What other unique steps are you creating to deal with the simultaneous flood crisis and Health Crisis . Gov. Witmer i appreciate the question because i want to take a moment to really acknowledge the incredible leadership at the local level. Across our state, we got local operation, Emergency Operations centers, and i have been so impressed by the kind of work that they have done, the way that the community has responded. It really was something to behold, and if it wasnt in the midst of covid19, i would invite everyone to come in to midland and talk to people. It is really remarkable the Community Spirit in the way people have reached out to help one another. It was very moving. It was interesting today. I got a note from someone in midland was generally supportive, and i really was very moved by it. So, what we know is that, covid19 is still very present, and that is why the evacuation of 10,000 people in the evening hours was something that was really important that they had to plan to do it and do it well. They have been running all of their exercises. No one anticipated we would be in the midst of a global pandemic, if and when Something Like this would happen, but they rose to the occasion, and i think they have done it well. Going forward, decisions will be driven by the local leadership. That is how we best operate in these operations that are mother natureinitiated, and confined to one region of our state, and that is how we will continue to operate in this regard. Reporter governor, the infrastructure commission, former governor created in 2016, called for spending 225 Million Dollars over 20 years to shore up and start removing some of these troubled dams in michigan. With the current situation, is it time to revisit that recommendation and start to put money into this issue . On. Witmer lauren, i ran and i have been introducing a solution to try to fix infrastructure in michigan. It was dams and roads. The fact of the matter is we have under invested over a period of decades in the state, and when you have a 500 year event happening, 100 year event happening with more frequency, we know this underinvestment will come with a very cost if we dont take it seriously. I know that the 45 gas tax was not embraced a lot of enthusiasm, but the fact of the matter is, we know that we got hundreds of dams. We have thousands of bridges by the way, a few bridges were wiped out when the dam failed. We got roads that are filled with potholes, and this is what i have been trying to fix. I would love to have some cooperation and partnership from the legislature and the federal government frankly, to reinvest in infrastructure, but we need to be very clear. Dam. Is a privatelyowned we can talk about the merits of the critical infrastructure. That is what we are dealing with very and we need to make sure we have the help that we can rebuild these critical pieces of our infrastructure. Ask anyone who lives on the lake what they are looking at now. Their life has changed. On the peopleg who had to deal with floods coming into their homes, but we all pay when infrastructure fails, so that is why we have to be apart of that doesnt happen again. Reporter governor, i will play a reporters trick and cram two questions into one. Gov. Witmer thank you for being obvious with announcing it. Thank you. You are facing a budget deficit. Covids the twin crises, and the midland dams affected your plans to deal with that deficit . And what conversations have you had with the Republican Leadership and the legislature about the budget in those plans . Gov. Witmer one of the conversations i had with the republican legislative leaders that, if and when either of the leaders in the legislature is spending time with the president well he is two in town to read need address any for the supplemental. I know a senator made comments he believes we should not make any cuts to the School Aid Fund and the current fiscal year. I agree. I am hopeful he will avail himself of the efforts to oppress upon the president on how this supplemental is. And senator chappell indicated he will do that as well and im hopeful they do. I have an ongoing conversation with brad upton. He is apart of some of the conversations and that is important. I been talking regularly with two senators as well as the rest of our congressional delegation. Maybe i should name everyone, but the fact of the matter is i am talking to the whole delegation. Understands the precarious position we are in. Lets be clear, but for the flood, michigan is not alone in what we are confronting. This is a problem in every state in the nation. That is what you have governors on both sides of the aisle calling on the light and calling on the u. S. Senate to get this fourth supplemental john perry we need Additional Resources and flexibility, and if that wasnt acute prior to the last 72 hours, it is more front and center for us now. Reporter governor, the dam in question had been deemed unsafe by regulatory bodies for 13 years. Can you talk a little bit about eagle did not act immediately to make the eden bird dam safe after it came under the realtor or authority . Gov. Witmer this is a privately owned dam. This is a dam that we are in the midst of going through this investigation. We have to get the facts, and everyone of us deserves to know what those facts are. Midland andone in everyone across our state deserves to know what the facts are. That is why we have a process for this investigation and we have to let that play out. Is that where there is culpability, we will pursue Holding People accountable. And that is what i know. But what we dont know is a lot of different pieces of what has gone into or contributed to this, but i will say this. Dam withhe owner of a only had litigation with the state. Understanding all of the different moments that have contributed to this is under wade and we will have more on that in the coming days. Thank you, everybody. Please stay safe for memorial day. Be smart. Dont lecture guard down. Wear your masks. Dont let your guard down. Wear your masks. Send only 1 to the Grocery Store. , and the masks, stay safe were member the purpose of memorial day and that is to thank those who served. Thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020]