Three U.P. lawmakers push back against extended Covid-19 restrictions
Three republican legislators from the upper peninsula are pushing back against Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s limitation on restaurants and bars.
In a joint statement, Senator Ed Mcbroom and House representatives Beau LaFave and Greg Markkanen blasted Whitmer’s order as an “underhanded restriction extension.”
The MDHHS set the initial order l, which limits bars and restaurants to 25% capacity with a 10 p.m. curfew, was set to expire February 21st.
“Because of the administration’s failure to highlight this action in any recent press release or conference, restaurants planning to resume normal capacity on Sunday now must plan for at least 40 more days of disruptions, lost revenue, and limited service — all based on inconsistent or uncompelling data.
“The administration continues to use the improved numbers as proof to prolong its unilateral actions while ignoring the clear trends that preceded its actions and the successful rollbacks undertaken in other states. The governor also fails to explain how our state, with such a high level of restrictions, has emerged with worse overall results than many other states with fewer restrictions,” the statement says, in part.
This as Whitmer renewed her calls for Republicans and Democrats to work together in allocating $5 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds.