On May 7 during her daily coronavirus briefing, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended the Stay Home, Stay Safe order to May 28. The stay at home order was previously scheduled to end May 15. Michigan’s state of emergency is also scheduled to end on May 28.
Along with the extension of the stay at home order, Whitmer announced the name is changing to “Safer at Home.” This change was made because even as people begin to return to work, “We are still safer at home,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer also released the “MI Safe Start Plan” which gives six steps to the pandemic response.
Step 1 is uncontrolled growth. If left at this stage, the state’s COVID-19 cases would completely swamp the health care system. To get out of this stage, the public should begin to wear face masks as well as social distance.
Step 2 is persistent spread. This stage still shows case numbers going up. But, there are signs that the case numbers may be reaching a peak. Though case numbers are slowing down, cases could quickly spiral out of control again and overwhelm the healthcare system. The healthcare system is not out of the woods yet.
Step 3 is flattening. Here, cases begin to decline. The healthcare system is able to keep up with the cases coming in. Some industries (construction and manufacturing in Michigan’s case) are starting to reopen. “That’s where we are right now,” Whitmer said during the May 7 briefing.
Step 4 is improving. While cases begin to decline in step 3, step 4 sees a continuous, obvious fall in cases. In this stage it is much easier for the state to track and identify new cases and possible exposure sites due to less tests flooding the system. However, public mask wearing and social distancing efforts must be continued or there is a possibility to return to previous stages.
Step 5 is containing. Cases continue to fall and it becomes increasingly easier to squash new outbreak locations in communities. Positive COVID-19 tests are becoming less common. Again, without continued social distancing observation, a new outbreak could quickly take over the state again.
Step 6 is post-pandemic. In this stage, the threat of new infections is very low and community-wide spread is not thought to come back. Usually, cases will be at about zero and life can return to “normal” with the economy reopening and no limit to the amount of people that can gather in a space.
While the stay at home order and the state of emergency last until at least May 28, it is as important as ever to continue to take care of yourself.
Physically, make sure that you are getting plenty of sleep and food. Physical (exercising) and mental (puzzles, schoolwork or reading) stimulation can also be helpful during this time. Wearing a mask in public and social distancing is also important to continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
It is also increasingly more important to take care of your mental health. Practice mindful behaviors and continue to take care of yourself. Above all, if you feel like you need professional help, do not be afraid to reach out to someone. Some mental health resources are listed below.
Full list of mental health resources
Mental health open letter
National Suicide Hotline
1-800-273-8255
Find a telehealth therapist
