| Dear Friends,
At the beginning of this month, Gov. Whitmer lifted Michigan’s Safer at Home order as the state moves to the next phase of the MI Safe Start Plan.
In the last couple of days, retail businesses, some offices, day camps, swimming pools, outdoor fitness classes, libraries, and restaurants and bars began to reopen but are still required to adopt proper safety measures, practices and training, including:
- Implementing workplace infection-control practices;
- Training employees to properly use personal protective equipment (PPE);
- Informing workers on the steps they must take to notify their employers of any symptoms of COVID-19 or a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19; and
- Teaching workers how to report unsafe workplace conditions.
The following changes were recently implemented:
Outdoor social gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed immediately, but residents are encouraged to continue taking precautions to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19.
Office work may resume where remote work is not possible.
Retail stores may reopen and serve customers without an appointment, but must continue following strict social distancing guidelines. Customers are still required to wear masks.
Restaurants and bars may reopen statewide with limited capacity while maintaining social distancing. Servers must wear masks and all other employees must follow rigorous disinfection protocols. Patrons are required to wear masks until they are seated at their table.
Day camps and swimming pools can begin reopening with limited capacity.
This executive order still allows for cities, villages, townships and other local entities to choose to take a more cautious course of re-engagement if they wish.
For more information on Gov. Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan, click here.
Upcoming Events
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Tax Foreclosure Town Hall
When: Monday, June 22, from 1 to 2 p.m.
Where: Facebook and Zoom |
Auto No Fault Changes
Michigan’s Auto No-Fault laws will be changing on July 1. You can find more information about how this may impact you and your family by clicking here.
| Plasma Donation
As an early survivor of COVID-19, I was desperate to do whatever was in my power to be a part of the solution. Earlier this month, I went to a participating plasma donation facility and in less than 90 minutes I was able to donate my blood plasma, which will be used to develop a medicine to treat individuals suffering from COVID-19.
An unprecedented alliance of companies, typically fierce competitors, are collaborating and pooling resources to develop a treatment for individuals suffering from COVID-19.
In the fight against this virus, we are facing two urgent timelines: recruiting COVID-19 survivors within two months of their recovery to ensure that their blood plasma contains a robust enough concentration of antibodies to have a positive effect, and addressing the substantial seasonal increase in COVID-19 cases anticipated this fall in the Northern Hemisphere by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health experts.
COVID-19 survivors carry the antibody-rich blood plasma that may help stem the tide of this pandemic. The time is now for volunteers to donate their blood plasma and to potentially help stop COVID-19 in its tracks.
If you or someone you know has recovered from COVID-19, please consider going online to find your nearest participating blood or plasma donation centers and find out if you’re eligible to donate. Together we can do our part to help save the lives of others. |
Legislative Update
I recently introduced House Bill 5783, which would prohibit firearms from being openly carried in the State Capitol.
The recent Stay-At-Home “protests” at the Capitol that were attended by heavily armed men were meant to intimidate legislators. It was clear that these militant demonstrations were not intending to merely exercise First Amendment rights, they were intending to threaten, intimidate and terrorize. The very nature of carrying a weapon meant to kill implies the threat of violence and creates a hostile, volatile and dangerous work environment for elected officials and staff alike. That’s not how our democracy was intended to function. We must ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone that works in or visits the Capitol, and that was clearly not done. Protesting is crucial to the fabric of our democracy, but blatant intimidation and the inciting of fear cannot be tolerated. These recent incidents have made it abundantly clear that changes need to be made. Many states already prohibit open carry in state facilities, and Michigan should clearly follow suit.
Census Update
The Michigan 2020 Census is encouraging all Michiganders to participate in the “Our Power, Our Census” national day of action on Wednesday, June 17, to increase census awareness and encourage all Michiganders to Be Counted. The day’s activities will kick off at 12:01 p.m. with a statewide “digital thunderclap” across social media channels calling on Michiganders to participate in the 2020 Census.
Michiganders are invited to join the “digital thunderclap” by tweeting, posting and sharing social media content to highlight the importance of participating in the 2020 Census.
Here are several other ways to get involved in “Our Power, Our Census” activities:
- Post about the convenience of completing the 2020 Census — which can be done by mail, phone and online — using the hashtags #2020Census, #BeCounted and #CountMeIn.
- Use your favorite social media platform to encourage Michiganders to fill out their census forms.
- Share and like posts from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to provide your networks with the most current 2020 Census information.
- Visit the 2020 Census Social Hub for customizable graphics to share your support for a complete and accurate count.
- Check the Response Rate Map and Rankings Dashboard to see how your hometown is responding to the 2020 Census.
Additional resources for social media posts, video links, and more can be found at Michigan.gov/Census2020.
Sincerely,
Tyrone Carter
State Representative, 6th House District
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