On Friday, Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended her state's stay-at-home order through June 12. The order was set to expire on May 28. The governor is facing mounting criticism for some of her coronavirus-related restrictions, among the strictest in the nation.
"I find it reasonable and necessary to extend Executive Orders 2020-62, 2020-69, and 2020-96 for three weeks from the date of this order," Whitmer stated in her executive order.
Earlier this week, the governor did allow social gatherings of 10 people or fewer to resume and retail stores to arrange appointment-only shopping for customers. But things like gyms, hair salons and barbershops remain closed.
Despite a decline in coronavirus cases in her state, Gov. Whitmer says Michigan is "not out of the woods yet."
"If we’re going to lower the chance of a second wave and continue to protect our neighbors and loved ones from the spread of this virus, we must continue to do our part by staying safer at home," the governor said in a statement first reported by the Detroit Free Press.
Gov. Whitmer is accused of using her coronavirus response to boost her national profile as she competes for a spot on the ticket with presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. But many in her state find the governor's restrictions baffling, and the governor has faced protests and criticism over her handling of the outbreak.
Like Gov. Cuomo (D-NY), Whitmer is now coming under fire for her nursing home policy, where elderly patients infected with the coronavirus were placed in communities with other elderly, vulnerable people.