Shiawassee Times

As Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer begins reopening parts of the state there are lessons to be learned from what has taken place so far in respect to the economy and stifling the spread of COVID-19.

Some significant information developed does not seem so shocking at face value while is also leaves past actions subject to debate. The Mackinac Center reported the Bureau of Labor Statistics has learned from surveying businesses about their response to the pandemic that Michigan had some of the strictest lockdown mandates in place under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor is currently loosening some of the lockdown orders as the state has learned the toll on its economy was costly while its impact on stemming the spread of the coronavirus is somewhat more questionable.

Michigan had one-third of its workforce subjected to the shutdown second only to the State of Nevada. Nationally, 21% of the workforce fell victim to the government-mandated shutdown. The department found the states have higher employment when governors force more businesses to close. The impact began in May and was still being felt in November although the relationship between the two was not as strong.

The Mackinac Center found when looking at the lockdowns and reported coronavirus deaths, closures of business are not as closely associated with the death rate as it is with unemployment. The center is not certain what the association between the two may be, if there is one at all.

Given the governor’s decisions, particularly with the onset of the virus, there were difficult choices to be made. Those like Michigan who made more extreme decisions appear to have complicated effects to prevent the health harms associated with the pandemic. But they had clearer effects on the economy that the state can use moving forward.

Among the positive signs for the state is the resumption of the state’s high school playoffs as Whitmer is encouraging state schools to reopen by Monday, March 1. The Detroit News reported the indoor dining ban was extended in December but casinos, cinemas and bowling alleys were allowed to reopen.

The Mackinac Center reported the governor’s orders loosening the lockdown do not seem to have either rhyme or reason. But the past can be a useful tool for ensuring greater measures of success moving forward.