Michigan residents praised Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) Sunday for new COVID-19 safety restrictions — even as Donald Trump’s health adviser Scott Atlas ominously urged people to “rise up” against them.
“Big Gretch” — Michiganders’ nickname for their governor immortalized in a rap by Detroit’s GmacCash — was trending on Twitter as supporters hailed her three-week emergency order imposing new restrictions against the surging COVID-19 pandemic, despite Trump administration intimidation.
Whitmer’s order on Sunday restricts some activities and social gatherings as the state experienced an all-time record seven-day stretch of infections last week, with more than 44,000 new COVID-19 cases and 416 deaths.
The new rules, issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, halt in-person learning in high schools and colleges, indoor dining, organized sports and group exercise classes, and shuts down theaters, stadiums and casinos.
“The only way this stops is if people rise up,“Atlas, who has no formal training in treating infectious diseases, snapped about the new rules on Twitter. “You get what you accept.”
Whitmer responded on CNN: “We know that the White House likes to single us out here in Michigan, me out in particular. I’m not going to be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals.”
Whitmer’s supporters were there for her.
Whitmer has been a special target of Trump, who has called her “that woman” who complains. (“We don’t like to see the complaints,” Trump told Sean Hannity.)
The president made the remark after Whitmer’s desperate requests for federal help earlier this year to obtain protective gear for health care workers as her state battled coronavirus. She later reported that medical supply vendors had been told not to fill her orders.
Whitmer blamed Trump’s repeated attacks on her for inciting an alleged plot to kidnap and kill her by members of the far-right paramilitary group Wolverine Watchmen, who were arrested by the FBI last month.
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus
- Stay up to date with our live blog as we cover the COVID-19 pandemic
- What you need to know about face masks right now
- How long are asymptomatic carriers contagious?
- Lost your job due to coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know.
- How to switch off from work when home is your office
- 8 sleep tips if coronavirus anxiety is keeping you up at night
- How long does coronavirus live in the air?
- The HuffPost guide to working from home
- What coronavirus questions are on your mind right now? We want to help you find answers.
- Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today
