Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer encouraged residents to maintain social distancing and Wearing Masks while announcing statewide business openings. Held in lansing, this is 35 minutes. Good morning. Today is thursday, may 21. I am joined by a number of people but the doctor is not by my side. She had another commitment she had to attend to but i am accompanied by medical professionals, dr. Bobby from the Michigan State medical society, and the president of a company. President of ae company. The president of a ship a chevrolet dealership, and Patti Roberts, the owner of once upon a child. I will begin by giving you an update on the emergency situation in Midland County. Over the past 48 hours, i have been working closely with Midland County elected officials, the local Emergency Operations 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. I want to start by thanking our 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. And i want to thank 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 many times 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 has been drained, it is remarkable how much damage we have sustained. I think the most remarkable thing i saw yesterday was people that were 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. Their home was in the flood zone. 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. We are all 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 where we have had to move people around so much. I ask that you continue to take care of yourselves and seek the help you need. Theres a lot available. Yesterday, d tmz 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. On monday, i announced that the upn Traverse City region opened Retail Businesses and restaurants with limited observation strict of best practices, and office work that cant 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. And that is per day of four or fewer. As i make future determinations about other regions in the stay, in the state, 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 estimate assessments that go into determining the level of risk, and how safely we can continue to move forward. Today, i signed a number of executive 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 have said on 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. Allowing retail statewide, but on an appointment only basis, provided the store is limited to 10 customers at any one time. The congregation of people inside is what is so dangerous, and that is why the appointment only rule will help reopen the sector of our economy. Also, 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. Wear your masks. These new provisions are effective immediately. As with previous announcements, businesses that reopen must adhere to safe, strict measures to protect employees, customers, clients, and patients. So, this is another positive step forward in every in the reengagement. 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 but we are going to stay tethered to the data and the epidemiology to know when it is safe to do that, so please, as you are reengaging 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. Weekend safely. All of us know the importance of getting back to work and getting the economy moving again. We have already loosened some restrictions on construction, manufacturing, and lawncare, but what we dont want to do is simply drop all of our guard. What 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. The real heroes of this crisis 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 locally and 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. Mask up, michigan. I hope that you have a safe holiday weekend. With that, i just ask that you 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. 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 that has 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 during this time. 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, trying to take care of their patients with telemedicine, using technology, like facetime, zoom, and the good oldfashioned telephone. Talking to patients on the screen, doing their best to make accurate diagnoses without the benefit of a physical exam, postponing procedures, and worrying about their patients as well as the future of the practices. Physicians, nurses, dentists, and others throughout 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. Right now, many people are rightly 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. Call your doctor. We are ready to see you. With the 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. By 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 Whitmer 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 in 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. Michigan automobile dealers are honored to be involved in the early stages of moving our economy forward. In difficult times, normal 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. Speaking 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 for sale appointments, we fully understand the responsibility we have to the health and safety of our employees and our customers. We will go above and beyond, all recommended safety protocols. We also understand how we operate and behave will impact all residents of michigan, as as well as influence other businesses seeking to reopen in the near future. Lastly, we look forward updating our plan for the great Detroit Auto Show in june, 2021. Believe me, 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 closely tied to michigans economy for war than 100 years. Even in times of crisis, the Automotive Industry has played a crucial role in keeping our state mobilized. Nowledgingfor ack michigans transportation sector as 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 personnel, the members that are undergoing new cleaning procedures for vehicle repair and services, Motor Vehicles for customers, and the staff who guide customers through these new processes. You have stepped up, adapted to unique circumstances, requiring heightened awareness, and made these procedures work safely. Your 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 who are 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 be in the position where we can feel comfortable, and safely and carefully get back to work. Thank you. Good 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, once upon a child. As a small Business Owner, we have experienced challenges over the past nine weeks. We are excited to open our doors back up to interact with our customers again in person. The health and safety of our employees and patrons are our number one priority. We will be requiring masks, socialdistancing, and occupancy limits. We are proud to be a part of Governor Whitmers steps to reengaging michigan. Thank you. Gov. Whitmer thank you. I appreciate all of you being here, and i appreciate you are youre taking every effort to keep your employees and customers safe. That is paramount for all of us so we are excited. For those of you who question how excited i am about moving forward, i have to correct myself. 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. The auto showrooms by 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 misstep, and i want our employers, businesses, to be able to take the time they need in order to ensure that their places of business will be safe for their customers and employees alike. 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 existing stayathome order would likely 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 . Gov. Whitmer things that are not included on the list today are not included. What we know is that coronavirus takes two weeks for incubation. Before when you take an action 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 vast 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. We can keep moving forward. As for when the next of forward is, we will watch the data, monitor hospitalization rates, monitor Testing Capacity and positive tests that are coming very close to our local Public Health department so we can get a real handle on what covid19 looks like as we determine our next steps. Reporter a followup on morans on laurens question. What was the thinking behind allowing medical and dental services, some retail, but not, not including bars and restaurants in that group . Gov. Whitmer as we assessed risk inherent with different sectors of our economy with the six step phase 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 couple of other examples, or not an immediate emergency, kids with big tonsils, but something that is important and can impact your health if you go too long without getting it addressed. We built up our stores of ppe. Health professionals that have been trained in best practices and 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 are working with the dental association. We want to make sure we get this right. 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. Whitmer we reached out to the white house yesterday morning, we tried to get a call scheduled and it came in late yesterday afternoon. It was a brief call that 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 on hand, the regional partner, in fema, 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 and it is my hope that when he comes to michigan today, 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 have since, that shelters have been created. What other unique steps are you creating to deal with the simultaneous flood crisis and Health Crisis . Gov. Whitmer 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 and 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 that was generally supportive, and i really just was very moved by it. So what we know is that of course, 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. Of course 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 Rick Snyder created in 2016, called for spending 225 million 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 . Gov. Whitmer lauren, i ran on and i have been introducing a solution to try to fix infrastructure in michigan. I ran on fixing the dams and roads. It wasnt just 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 a very big cost if we dont take it seriously. I know 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. This is a privately owned dam. We can talk about the merits of companies should own critical infrastructure. I dont think they should but that is what we are dealing with and we need to make sure we have the health 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. It is drained. Their life has changed. Andously we are first foremost focused on the people who had to deal with blood coming into their homes but we all pay when infrastructure fails. That is why we have to make sure this doesnt happen again. Reporter governor, i will play a reporters trick and cram two questions into one. Gov. Whitmer thank you for being obvious about it and announcing it. You are facing a budget deficit. How has the twin crises, covid 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. Whitmer one of the conversations i had with the republican legislative leaders on tuesday, with the whole quadrant on the phone, was that if and when either of the leaders in the legislature spent time with the president while he the needn to reaffirm for the fourth supplemental, it is important. Senator shirkey made some , weents that he is shouldnt make cuts to the school laid found in the current fiscal year. I am agreed and i hope you will impress upon the president how critical this is. Indicated they would do this. I hope the they do. The next vote takes place in the u. S. Senate. He is part of some of the conversations. I have been talking regularly with two senators as well as the rest of our congressional delegation. Maybe i should name everyone, because i dont want anybody to be unhappy, but the fact of the matter is, i am talking to the whole delegation. Each of them 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 why you have governors on both sides of the aisle calling on the white house and the u. S. Senate to get this fourth supplemental done. 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. Last question. Reporter governor, the dam in question had been deemed unsafe by regulatory bodies for 13 years. Can you talk a little bit about why the state deq and eagle did not act immediately to make the under thence it came state Regulatory Authority . Gov. Whitmer 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. Me and everyone in midland and everyone across our state deserves to know what the facts are. That is why we have to have a process for this investigation and we have to let that play out. What i now 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. This is the owner of a dam with whom we have had litigation as a state. Understanding all of the different moments that have contributed to this is under way and we will have more on that in the coming days. Thank you, governor. Gov. Whitmer thank you, everybody. Please stay safe for memorial day. Be smart. Dont let your guard down. Wear your masks. Send one Family Member to the Grocery Store. I dont care if you all participate in cooking but one person at the Grocery Store. Where your masks, stay y memorial day and remember the purpose of memorial day, to thank those who served. Thank you. [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] cspans washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up friday morning, the Bipartisan Policy Centers chief medical advisor discusses the latest on the u. S. Response to the corona virus. And then an author and cnn political analyst talks about his book my vanishing country, a memoir. Watch cspans washington journal live every morning at 7 00 eastern. Join the discussion. On friday, democrats on the House Judiciary Committee hold a discussion on the trump administrations response to the spread of the coronavirus in prisons and jails. Watch live at 4 00 eastern on cspan, online as cspan. Org or listen on the free cspan radio app. Federal government at work in d. C. And throughout the country, use the congressional directory for Contact Information for members of congress, governors, and federal agencies. Order your copy online today at cspan. Org. President trump traveled to michigan to visit a ford plant that has been producing ventilators in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The president received a tour of the facility alongside company executives, then gave a