IMPORTANT BUSINESS UPDATE
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Governor Whitmer Extends, Expands “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order
Governor directs all Michiganders to stay home, stay safe through April 30
On Thursday, April 9, Governor Whitmer signed executive order 2020-42, extending her prior “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order through the end of April. As with the prior order, Executive Order 2020-42 limits gatherings and travel and requires all workers who are not necessary to sustain or protect life to stay home.
Executive Order 2020-42
also imposes more stringent limitations on stores to reduce foot traffic, slow the spread of the coronavirus, and save lives.
Executive Order 2020-42 prohibits all businesses and operations from requiring workers to leave their homes, unless those workers are necessary to sustain or protect life or to conduct minimum basic operations. Businesses and operations are to designate the workers who meet those criteria, and must adopt social distancing practices and other mitigation measures to protect workers and patrons in the performance of that in-person work.
Workers who are necessary to sustain or protect life include those in health care and public health, law enforcement and public safety, grocery store workers, and more. For a full list of these critical infrastructure workers, click the link to Executive Order 2020-42. To enable these critical workers to get to their workplaces, automobile dealerships will now be allowed to open for remote sales, though showrooms must remain closed.
Under the new order, all public and private gatherings among persons outside a single household remain temporarily prohibited. Though Michiganders may leave the house to get groceries or needed supplies, the new order encourages people to limit the number of household members running errands to the maximum extent possible. As before, people may engage in outdoor activities like walking, hiking, running, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, or any other recreational activity, consistent with remaining at least six feet from people from outside a person’s household and with other restrictions imposed by prior executive orders. The order clarifies, however, that travel for vacations or for any other purpose is prohibited.
A new section of the order imposes restrictions on stores in an effort to reduce crowds. Large stores must limit the number of people in the store at one time to no more than 4 customers for every 1,000 square feet of customer floor space; small stores must limit capacity to 25% of the total occupancy limits (including employees) under the fire codes. To regulate entry, stores must establish lines with markings for patrons to enable them to stand at least six feet apart from one another while waiting. Large stores must also close areas of the store that are dedicated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries, or paint.
All individuals who leave their home or place of residence must adhere to social distancing measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including remaining at least six feet from people from outside the individual’s household.
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Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II to Chair Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities
A Press Release from the office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer
A new Michigan Task Force on Racial Disparities, chaired by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, will consist of leaders across state government and health care professionals from communities most impacted by the spread of coronavirus. The task force will hold it’s first meeting this week.
As of today, over 40% of COVID-19 deaths in Michigan are African Americans, but only 14% of Michiganders are African Americans. The Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities will provide the governor with recommendations on how to address this disparity as we work to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our state.
“This virus is holding a mirror up to our society and reminding us of the deep inequities in this country,” said Governor Whitmer. “From basic lack of access to health care, transportation, and protections in the workplace, these inequities hit people of color and vulnerable communities the hardest. This task force will help us start addressing these disparities right now as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan.”
“We know that generations of racial disparities and inequality have a detrimental impact on the lives of people across the state,” Lt. Governor Gilchrist said. “The coronavirus pandemic has shown this inequity to be particularly true, especially in the Black community, where the health of our friends and family has been disproportionately impacted. That’s why we are taking immediate action to assemble some of the greatest minds to tackle this racial injustice now and in the future.”
During the COVID-19 crisis, Governor Whitmer has signed a number of executive orders aimed at protecting people in vulnerable communities. These include orders to temporarily ban evictions and tax foreclosures, expand unemployment benefits, and restore running water for families.
During her first year as governor, Governor Whitmer took several steps aimed at lifting Michigan families out of poverty. She announced the Michigan Poverty Task Force within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), which will provide her with recommendations on how to get more families on a path to success. She has been working with providers and universities to establish implicit bias training in their curriculum so that as people of color seek health care, they’ll be treated with equal dignity and respect, which will yield better outcomes. And in October, she raised asset test limits to make it easier for families to access food assistance and assist them in paying for necessities like rent, utilities, and warm clothes.
“It shouldn’t take a global pandemic for us to address these problems” Governor Whitmer continued. “It shouldn’t take a crisis for us to expand unemployment benefits, ensure protections for workers who are sick, or expand access to quality, affordable health care. We’re going to come out of this, but we must also learn some hard lessons about the deep problems in our economy that we need real, meaningful solutions on. As we recover from the impact of COVID-19, my administration will continue to focus on long-term solutions for every family in Michigan.”
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Covenant HealthCare Laboratory Validated to Process Limited Number of COVID-19 Tests
Thursday, April 2, Covenant HealthCare Laboratory was validated to immediately begin processing tests for COVID-19/SARS2. Due to the limited number of test kits, the Covenant Lab will only be used to process tests for patients who are hospitalized, and patients admitted through the Covenant Emergency Care Center (ECC) with suspected COVID-19 infection. Tests taken at the Covenant COVID-19 Sampling Center will continue to be sent to an affiliated reference laboratory.
“Several years ago, Covenant purchased equipment to improve the accuracy of influenza testing. That same equipment was updated in March and that is what allows us to process this critical COVID-19 testing,” said Michelle Bauer, manager of Covenant Laboratory Pathology Services.
Covenant laboratory technologists have been preparing for weeks to perform COVID-19 testing on the Cepheid Infinity Instrument, using RNA amplified PCR for patient placement and isolation status purposes. Prior to acquiring the in-house testing update, samples were sent to the state laboratory, with a turnaround time of several days. Now with capabilities on-campus, Covenant offers critically ill patients a faster turnaround time of 90-minutes from receipt in the laboratory.
As a means to minimize exposure to Coronavirus (COVID-19), Covenant has also established a Hotline (989.583.3135) staffed by advanced practice providers and nurses to handle COVID-19 screenings via telephone. Covenant strongly recommends that people concerned that they may have contracted COVID-19 call their doctor or the Covenant COVID-19 Hotline. If someone is experiencing severe symptoms, they should go immediately to an emergency department, or call 911.
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Resources for Business and the Community
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The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce maintains a list of federal, state, and local resources that provide aid and information for your business, employees and our community during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. This information is ever-changing, please check the Chamber's
website,
Facebook, and your email frequently.
We will add links, resources, and updates as information becomes available. We are also converting our At A Glance Newsletter to include Coronavirus links and information as well as local updates, job availability, member coupons and most importantly Member News. Please let us know what your business is doing and how you are functioning during this uncertain time. We need to stay connected and support each other.
If you are offering a service to help the Saginaw County Community or local businesses weather this storm, please email your information to
info@saginawchamber.org.
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Thank you and stay healthy.
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