Governors of seven states announced a partnership on Thursday aimed at reopening the economy in Midwestern states.
Governors Tony Evers (WI.), Gretchen Whitmer (MI.), Mike DeWine (OH), Tim Walz (MN.), J.B. Pritzker (IL.), Eric Holcomb (IN.) and Andy Beshear (KY) announced a partnership on Thursday aimed at reopening the economy in the Midwest region.
“Today, we are announcing that Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky will work in close coordination to reopen our economies in a way that prioritizes our workers’ health. We look forward to working with experts and taking a fact-based, data-driven approach to reopening our economy in a way that protect families from the spread of COVID-19," said the governors in a press release. "Our number one priority when analyzing when best to reopen our economy is the health and safety of our citizens. We will make decisions based on facts, science, and recommendations from experts in health care, business, labor, and education."
The governors said they will look at four factors in determining when to reopen economies.
Those four factors include:
- Sustained control of the rate of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations
- Enhanced ability to test and trace
- Sufficient health care capacity to handle resurgence
- Best practices for social distancing in the workplace
"Phasing in sectors of our economy will be most effective when we work together as a region. This doesn’t mean our economy will reopen all at once, or that every state will take the same steps at the same time. But close coordination will ensure we get this right. Over time, people will go back to work, restaurants will reopen, and things will go back to normal. We look forward to working together as one region to tackle this challenge together," said the governors.
On Thursday, Wisconsin Gov. Evers announced that he was directing the Department of Health Services to extend the Safer at Home order currently in place for the state until May 26.
