Local News

The state legislature voted Tuesday to approve resolutions that encourage Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to adopt the updated federal guidelines for essential workers and begin getting Michiganders safely back to work.

Senator Dan Lauwers, Republican from Brockway Township, said in a statement, “We cannot seriously address the need to reopen the state until we start following the latest federal guidelines. There we will find updated safety procedures for different industries and a path forward for allowing workers in construction and other fields to return to work, as they have done in so many other states.”

In mid-March the federal government outlined standards for essential workers. Whitmer subsequently adopted the recommended guidelines for essential workers in Michigan. As new information and research were made available, the federal government issued amended guidelines on two separate occasions: the first set of changes came on March 28 and the most recent on April 17.

The Senate resolution call on the governor to join other states in adopting the most recent federal guidelines for which employees are “essential” which would allow more workers who can safely do so to return to work.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

MSU Extension, the MSU College of Engineering, and Sparrow Hospital developed a decontamination process to extend the life of N95 respirators so they can be reused. The process involves using dry heat which allows masks to be disinfected up to 20 times.

Currently, Sparrow Hospital in Lansing has its personnel label and deliver N95 respirators to the MSU Extension Food Processing and Innovation Center (FPIC) in Okemos. FPIC scientists and technicians decontaminate the respirators in a commercial oven using a touchless process. Sparrow hospital then returns them to their original owner for reuse.

“The MSU Extension team went from concept to testing this system in less than five days,” said Jeff Dwyer, MSU Extension director. “If it weren’t for the valuable partnership with Sparrow and funders like Delta Dental, we wouldn’t be able to keep this going. We’re proud of our staff members who jumped in to make it happen, and grateful for the support.”

Delta Dental is providing $25,000 to support the effort, and the project is in need of additional funding of about $1 million to cover the personnel, transport, and safety needs.

Once FDA grants the emergency authorization, the MSU Extension will be able to decontaminate respirators from other organizations for a nominal fee. They plan to put decontaminated respirators into circulation soon and distribute them to hospitals in Southeast Michigan and the Lansing Area.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

While the health and safety of Michiganders remains Whitmer’s first priority, she is ready to re-engage Michigan’s economy. MI Safe Start is the governor’s plan for laying out the priorities for that reopening, and she says she’ll sign an executive order on Friday that will open both residential and commercial construction by May 7th.

“Businesses are going to need to do their part as we slowly and safely reengage sectors of our economy, ” Whitmer said in a press conference today. “Businesses must protect their employees through careful monitoring of symptoms, instituting an array of social distancing techniques, strengthening sanitation and hygiene, and providing recommended protective equipment whether it’s masks or face shields or a combination thereof and additional measures.”

Some additional protection for workers are being put into place for the future. A new program called Futures for Frontliners, which was inspired by the GI Bill, will provide tuition-free pathways to college or technical certificates to essential workers who don’t have college degrees. She is also expanding the state’s Workshare Program to allow employers to reduce employee hours to receive weekly unemployment insurance (UI) benefits as well as the additional $600 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) weekly benefit.

Governor Whitmer also called on leaders in Congress to support Sen. Gary Peters’ Heroes Fund to provide hazard pay for frontline workers putting their lives on the line to ensure access to life-saving care, food, and other critical services during the pandemic.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Many people dream of taking a cruise to commemorate significant anniversaries or experience the get-away of a lifetime. WGRT spoke with D’Ann Kolan owner of St. Clair Travel, and asked her what the future looks like for those once-in-a-lifetime excursions. D’Ann told us that it is still possible to  book a cruise. There are several variables depending on when and where you want to go, but it’s okay to keep the dream alive.

A popular cruise destination is Alaska. Although cruises to Alaska have been cancelled for this year, you can book for next year. D’Ann recommends the earlier the better if this is on your bucket list.  Another popular destination, the Caribbean, is set to reopen June 1st although there may be some differences between what’s available on each island. One major factor is the reopening of hotels and resorts.  Travel to Europe is also set to reopen at that time, but D’Ann feels July 1st is more realistic.

Guidelines for cancelling big trips like these depends largely on the rules of each tour company and airline. She advises travelers purchase “cancel for any reason” insurance; however, some insurance does not cover a pandemic. If you have questions about travel, D’Ann welcomes your inquiries.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

In every economic crisis there are winners and losers. Without question, dining out, entertainment venues, and manufacturers have taken a huge hit. The question many are asking is, “Who are the winners?” Look no further than your computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone for the answer.

Video conferencing is on the rise. Video communication apps saw a record growth in March. With so much of the global population now living under some kind of degree of lockdown, many organizations have had to shift employees to working-from-home. The result is the demand for video conferencing apps has surged in recent weeks, with mobile app downloads reaching 62 million during the week March 14-21 – the highest number ever seen.

Zoom was the undisputed winner growing from 10 million users a day in December to 300 million users a day in April of this year. Video apps are not just useful in conducting business. Churches are using them to conduct weddings, funeral homes have turned to them for memorial services, and families use them to celebrate significant events like birthdays and anniversaries.

Of course, along with the convenience comes certain risks. The FBI has warned the public of the potential for “Zoom-bombing.”  Zoom-bombing is when unwanted guests intrude on video meetings for malicious purposes.  Zoom-bombing has significantly increased during the pandemic. Zoom recommends that users refrain from sharing meeting links on social media or in public forums, avoiding the use of your personal meeting ID (PMI) to host public meetings, and familiarizing yourself with Zoom and its settings before using the platform so you understand how to protect your virtual space.

 

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

A group of Michigan House members today said the governor should revise an initial COVID-19 economic reopening map that places St. Clair and Lapeer counties in the Metro Detroit region.

Reps. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron, Pamela Hornberger of Chesterfield Township, Gary Eisen of St. Clair Township and Gary Howell of North Branch noted COVID-19 is significantly less prevalent in St. Clair and Lapeer counties than in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. St. Clair and Lapeer should be on track for reopening more quickly than the Metro Detroit area, the lawmakers said.

“It’s ridiculous that St. Clair County – with a few hundred confirmed COVID-19 cases – would be placed in the same region as Wayne County, with several thousand COVID-19 cases,” Hernandez said. “The governor needs a new map. This is another sign that she, or her advisory group that suggested the regions, is out of touch with what’s going in different parts of the state when it comes to COVID-19.”

As of Monday, St. Clair County had 304 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while Lapeer County had 164 confirmed cases. Detroit had 8,679 cases, with Wayne County at 7,193, Oakland County at 6,913 and Macomb County at 5,245.

Lapeer and St. Clair counties were included in a nine-county ‘Detroit region’ on the map from the Michigan Economic Recovery Council, whose guidance Gov. Whitmer said will be a consideration as she moves forward with plans to reopen the economy.

“The governor said she is going to be reliant on data as she reopens the economy – well, this is her chance to prove it,” Howell said. “The COVID-19 data indicates Lapeer and Detroit are in significantly different circumstances.”

Hornberger said the governor must work with the Legislature to reopen Michigan in a safe, commonsense fashion.

“The Legislature represents the people – and the people deserve a voice in this process,” Hornberger said. “The governor has been making too many decisions without input from the Legislature, and it’s hurting the people of Michigan who want to safely get back to work.”

Eisen said the governor’s unilateral actions were a factor in the Legislature’s decision to establish the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. The panel, with membership from both the House and Senate, will provide oversight and accountability on how state government is responding to COVID-19.

“We need answers and information from the governor to find out how decisions like this are being made,” Eisen said. “Putting our small cities and townships in the same boat with Metro Detroit on COVID-19 – it’s not right and it’s not acceptable.”

Submitted by Tim Martin