Downriver Today

Michigan Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on May 8

Governor Whitmer unveiled her reengagement strategy Wednesday, May 7th. The MI Safe Start plan includes six phases, each containing different restrictions based on certain public heath criteria. The six phases of public health criteria include:

• UNCONTROLLED GROWTH: The increasing number of new cases every day, overwhelming our health systems.
• PERSISTENT SPREAD: Continued high case levels with concern about health system capacity.
• FLATTENING: The epidemic is no longer increasing and the health-system's capacity is sufficient for current needs.
• IMPROVING: Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are clearly declining.
• CONTAINING: Continued case and death rate improvements, with outbreaks quickly contained.
• POST-PANDEMIC: Community spread not expected to return.

Each public health phase is accompanied with certain economic and social restrictions (Review MI Safe Start link). Movement between the phases will depend on the answers to these three questions:

• Is the epidemic growing, flattening, or declining?
• Does our health system have the capacity to address current needs? Can it cope with a potential surge of new cases?
• Are testing and tracing efforts sufficient to monitor the epidemic and control its spread?

The Michigan Chamber has consistently stated that it is possible to protect both lives and livelihoods and we have advocated the need to safely reenergize our economy. While the Chamber is encouraged to see the first elements of the Governor’s reopening strategy, the fact remains that this action is long overdue. We remain concerned about the long-term economic damage that government is inflicting. We are urging the Governor and Legislature to work together to pass the Chamber’s Relief and Recovery Agenda.

For more information on the Governor’s reengagement plan, please contact Dan Papineau at the Michigan Chamber.

Original source can be found here.