Gov. Whitmer Announces Michigan Is Fully Open Today but She Is Late to the Party

Gretchen Whitmer sure loves to put on a show.

Today, the show was put on in Michigan’s largest city of Detroit on the island of Belle Isle, where the Governor announced all the orders from her MDHHS that had closed parts of the state down have ended. She was thrilled to announce that Michigan was back to normal and all was well.

Kinda.

From WDIV Detroit…

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a briefing Tuesday to officially lift the state’s COVID restrictions and fully reopen for the first time in about 15 months.

“We are now dropping the (epidemic) orders,” Whitmer said. “Effective today, there is no more mask or gathering order. Effective today, there are no more capacity limits — indoors or outdoors. Effective today, our Pure Michigan summer is back, and we can realize it.”

Whitmer’s comments were greeted by cheers from the small crowd gathered on Belle Isle. The tone of the briefing was, unsurprisingly, much different than most others throughout the pandemic. At times, it was a celebration.

Whitmer called it a “momentous moment.”

“It has been a tough, awfully hard year for all of us,” she said.

Yes, it has been tough for those who were not able to make up rules and then break them on a private jet to go visit Dad in Florida, but I digress. Yet here was the really interesting thing about the “surprise” announcement of the Governor ending her mandate. First, we had to achieve a certain vaccination rate but she scrapped that idea for a full opening on July 1st but once again called an audible for today. Why?

Most of the State had moved on from these non-scientific mandates back in March or April.

Here was her original time frame released back in April and the percentages that had to be vaccinated to resume some normalcy here in the Great Lake State. From the state’s website…

*55% of Michiganders (4,453,304 residents), plus two weeks
Allows in-person work for all sectors of business.

*60% of Michiganders (4,858,150 residents), plus two weeks
Increases indoor capacity at sports stadiums to 25%.
Increases indoor capacity at conference centers/banquet halls/funeral homes to 25%.
Increases capacity at exercise facilities and gyms to 50%.
Lifts the curfew on restaurants and bars.

*65% of Michiganders (5,262,996 residents), plus two weeks
Lifts all indoor % capacity limits, requiring only social distancing between parties.
Further relaxes limits on residential social gatherings.

*70% of Michiganders (5,667,842 residents), plus two weeks
Lifts the Gatherings and Face Masks Order such that MDHHS will no longer employ broad mitigation measures unless unanticipated circumstances arise, such as the spread of vaccine-resistant variants.

The only criteria the state met was the 55% threshold but Michigan businesses were already requiring some in-site participation months before. When this number was reached, people shrugged their shoulders being most had already gone back to work if required.

Most businesses with indoor capacity rates had not been enforcing those since earlier this spring. Restaurants and gyms while not at 100% at any time, were sure more than 50% full and ignoring the MDHHS. Social gatherings have been in full swing here and no thought has been given to the mandates.

Now, you might be thinking that the reason for this is because we have been marching towards the magic 70% vaccination herd immunity rate. You would be wrong.

Here is where we stand today with the vaccination rates in the state. Data provided by the Michigan COVID vaccination site right HERE…

Residents getting one dose of Pfizer or Moderna.

Resdients vaccinated 4,804,016

Percentage of residents 55.9%

We are still at Whitmer’s phase one level on June 22nd

Our completion number of people with both doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one of the J&J is currently this.

Residents vaccinated 4,383,005

Percentage of residents 51%

Now the numbers above represent those vaccinated from the age of 12 & up. However, if you just look at the top of the page you see a big chart that says 61% with the first does coverage but that is for 16 and over. So this is once again a bit of sleight of hand for our Government minders who were trying to goose the numbers to as close to 70% before the Independence Day celebration next month.

As I mentioned above, this is really all a show. If the Vac to Normal guidelines were based on science, we have fallen far short of the goals that were set. Even if the infection rate is not near where it was during the peak, this is the prime time for the virus to spread if you are not vaccinated. Why not follow the science and the data like California Governor Gavin Newsome has?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Governor can read the election calendar and knows that she is under 17 months until her election attempt and she is hoping people will appreciate her taking this noble step of releasing us. Also, that the majority of this state has turned her out on the doom and gloom and has moved on. The vaccination rate is a clear indication of the fact Michigan has moved on from being nannied by someone who breaks the very rules she made.

Last thing here. Below is a picture was taken at the Governor’s press conference today. I’m willing to bet that everyone in this picture is vaccinated but they are “social distancing” on a cool breezy day on an island in the middle of the Detroit River. Why are they doing that with the “safe and effective” vaccine?