press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan

October 20, 2020

Contact: Sam Inglot, sam@progressmichigan.org, 616-916-0574

Michigan Republicans Dropping the Ball on COVID-19 (Again)

GOP plan falls well short of expert recommendations

MICHIGAN – After months of relentless attacks on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s widely popular efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus and keep Michigan communities safe, Michigan Republicans have finally unveiled their plan to deal with COVID-19. With cases on the rise across the state, GOP lawmakers are weakening statewide requirements and opting not to mandate masks in public spaces.

“To sum it up, I’m disappointed but not surprised,” said Lonnie Scott, Executive Director of Progress Michigan. “So-called leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey have openly decried common-sense policies like mask mandates and limits on public gatherings, so I guess this subpar plan was pretty predictable. Republican lawmakers have had seven months to prepare for this and are choosing to replace Gov. Whitmer’s robust, responsible public health policies with a weak approach that will lead to more illnesses and more deaths. The best thing I can say about it is that in the grand scheme of Republican approaches to COVID-19, this is slightly better than injecting bleach. They wanted control, and now they’ve got it—so I hope they’re prepared to own the disastrous effects their failure will have on communities across the state and the deaths that come with it.”

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