S would be close to zero in a couple of days.

We all now know how wrong that waas As we come on the air this week, the number of cases in America is closing in on a 1,000,000.

At least 53,000 Americans have died in the weeks since the first day at home orders.

More than 26 million Americans have lost their jobs, and officials across the country have been wrestling with the dilemma of our time.

How to contain the public health emergency without crushing the economy.

This week, states like Georgia and Oklahoma began to reopen for business.

More will follow starting Monday, as others like North Carolina, Connecticut and Michigan extend their restrictions into May and beyond.

Michigan's governor, Gretch Regression Witmer, has faced down protests over her stay at home order.

She joins us this morning from Lansing.

Good morning, Governor.

Women.

How are you today?

Good morning.

Glad to be with you.

You know, you've You've decided to extend your stay at home order until May 15th but eased up on some things, like boating and golfing.

How long do you expect the broader order to be in place?

And what will it take to lifted?

Well, I've extended my order through May 15th with the acknowledgement that there may be adjustments that are necessary in the interim or e, or to extend it as well again.

What we know is that we have to have robust testing.

We have to have community tracing.

You gotta have a plan for isolation for people that do, uh, get tested positive for Colbert, 19 in the future.

And as we think about reengaging sectors of our economy, really analyzing the risk associated with a particular sector, scoring that risk, determining what protocols need to be in place and being really smart about taking a step forward, measuring understanding what it's meant before we take another step forward or sometimes might have to take a step backward.

We've gotta be nimble, and we have to follow the science and be really smart about how we re engage because no one, no one.

Even if you're a protester, you're the sitting governor or you're on another.

Aside of the issue, we know that no one wants a second wave it would be devastating for the health of our people and for our economy.

And so we've got to be really smart.

As we re in Munish, your legislatures not set up an oversight committee to oversee your actions.

Any concern that you've gone too far in any way with the state home restrictions?

No.

I know that what we have done the vast majority of people in Michigan agree with and have done the right thing because of that.

What was looking to be, you know, Justin, astronomical increase and and and predictions with regard to how many people would lose their lives from Cove in 19.

We have flattened that curve because people are doing the right thing and people recognize the value of the order that I've issued.

We also know that at the time Michigan had the third highest death rate, the hurt third highest number of positive Potvin cases, and we are the 10th most populous state.

But we have a unique issue here in Michigan.

It was hitting us incredibly hard, and that's why we had to have a unique solution, even though it was more aggressive than other states we have.

We have started to really push down that curve, and we've saved lives in the process.

In Detroit, Democrats have censured one of your state representatives, who credited credited President Trump with advocating that drug hydroxy claure Quinn.

And this, of course, comes on the heels of the president's comments suggesting injecting disinfectants could could kill the virus.

Something should be investigated.

Was this censure of your state representative appropriate?

And what's been the impact of those disinfecting comments from the president?

Yeah, I I don't know.

You know, I'm not getting involved in those maneuverings of what's happening there.

I can just say this that it's really important we get this right.

We need to listen to experts and to doctors.

And I know this state rep credits hydroxy you know, Clara Queen with her, um, you know, success with Cove in 19.

But I do also know that the medical professionals are saying, you know, that that's not the case.

We should not make that assumption.

All I know is this when the person with the most powerful position on the planet is encouraging, people think about disinfectants, whether it was mysterious or not, people listen, and so we have seen an increase in numbers of people calling the poison control.

And so I think it's really important that everyone of us with a platform disseminate medically accurate information.

And I want to say, you know, unequivocably No one is to be using disinfectant to digest it to to buy Cove in 19.

Please don't do it.

Just don't do it.

The next battleground in Congress is gonna be over aid to states I know you have about your projected about a $3 billion hole in your state budget coming out of this crisis, you've heard Senator McConnell, the leader Republican leader in the Senate, suggest that some states should consider bankruptcy is to fault an option for the state of Michigan.

No, and it's outrageous for Senator McConnell to even suggest that the fact of the matter is, our general fund budget, when adjusted for inflation, is the same size of Western.

When Richard Nixon was our president, we have been incredibly smart stewards.

We have not made some of the investments I think we should have as a state because of you know, this this, um you know, artificially low number that we've been working with, but The fact of the matter is that for Senator McConnell to suggest that is incredibly dangerous, and I don't think that the vast majority of governors in this country, Republican and Democratic, would agree with him is wrong.

And we need Congress to step up and help state because this pandemic is because of this global pandemic that we're all having to make tough decisions.

We need the federal government to have our backs.

Finally, governor, when we've got an election, is, you know, coming up in November.

What steps are you taking in your state to ensure that voters can go to the polls in a safe manner?

But we're encouraging people to vote by mail.

Michigan's made great strides in terms of that ability.

Just in the last couple of years, the people of our states that we want that right, and so we mended our Constitution.

We're really gonna encourage everyone who can vote my by mail to do that.

We can't put off an election because of a pandemic, but we can take the appropriate steps, keep people safe so that they can exercise their right in this in this country of ours and stay safe and doing it.

We don't want people to come out on and congregate anywhere right now, much less for the foreseeable future.

And so everything we can do to encourage vote by mail is absolutely most important thing we can do.

And that's what we're doing.

Governor Wimmer, Thanks for your time this morning.

Thank you.

Hi, everyone.

George Stephanopoulos here.

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