Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley on Friday urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to consider a “shelter in place” order only as a final resort, a letter to the governor made public Saturday disclosed.
“Quite frankly, we are concerned that an untimely or overly broad order would create unnecessary and long-term damage to Michigan’s economic health,” the letter read.
Studley said that not all businesses need to shut down because of COVID-19.
“We cannot risk a disruption in the supply chain or a break in the distribution cycle,” he said. “In addition, many businesses have non-interruptible operations and those operations need to be protected as we move forward.”
The letter requested that businesses be allowed to stay open, except for those that are high-risk to employees or the public.
A “stay at home” order assumed that “most if not all 877,000 businesses in Michigan should be closed, while a select few are allowed to stay open,” the letter said.
“As we have watched other states embark down this economically damaging road, we have seen long lists of winners and losers in executive orders that are unnecessary and create more challenges for the state to administer,” the letter released Saturday continued.
If Whitmer chose to order residents to shelter-in-place, Studley suggested recommendations that the U.S Chamber of Commerce delivered to President Donald Trump.
Sandy K. Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, agreed that many businesses can safely operate within recommended guidelines.
Baruah said in a statement that a “shelter in place” order could result in “long-lasting economic losses that will hamper the recovery or could pose safety issues resulting from a hastened closure.”
If such an order was made, Baruah suggested the state should give businesses enough time to shut down and to allow low-risk, essential businesses to adhere to public health guidelines and stay open.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted a stay-at-home order effective Saturday. New York, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut have made similar orders.
Whitmer said on Friday that Michigan isn’t yet pursuing that action.
Michigan announced at least five COVID-19 related deaths and 787 positive cases as of 6 p.m. Saturday.
More than 50,000 people filed for unemployment between Monday and Wednesday, an increase of 1,500 percent from the normal amount at this time of year.
Whitmer also issued an executive order today shuttering hair, nail, tanning, and other services, and extending other business bans through April 13.
