“This intervention is important to buy time, so that we can create surge capacity in our hospitals, so we can wrap up testing, and develop therapeutic drugs that lower hospitalization and fatality rates,” Governor Whitmer said in her address.
She went on to say that even with this order, the number of cases will continue to increase and it will take at least 14 days to see results in our hospitals and number of cases.
“We will all have to make significant sacrifices, but by taking this action, we protect our public health and ultimately the hardship on our economy,” Whitmer said.
Businesses that are not deemed “essential” will see consequences, according to Whitmer. Businesses that are essential include grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants for delivery and take out and health care providers.
“I think that they should try and keep open as many businesses as possible,” Jack Michaud ‘21 said, “if we choose to leave some industries helpless without any sort of commerce or money flow, a lot of businesses will struggle.”
Elliot Gunnell’s family owns Cornwall Bakery in Grosse Pointe Park. On March 16 they decided to officially close their doors to the public. Cornwall Bakery offered a delivery service to residents in an effort to use up remaining stock. According to Gunnell ‘20, the bakery also donated soups to Beaumont Hospitals.
“Closing is an adjustment that we needed to make because of the scale of the pandemic at hand.” Gunnell said. “The responsibility we have as community leaders that we have to make the right call at the right time was important to us as well.”
For many, this lockdown is a positive step to ending this pandemic. Wendy Relan, a Grosse Pointe Park mom and former employee at Henry Ford Hospital feels that a lockdown should have been implemented long ago.
“The healthcare providers are risking their own health, leaving their own families to care for those who’ve contracted the disease,” Relan said. “The very least we can do is stay home to help make their jobs easier.”
This virus will affect everyone in some capacity, according to Michaud. Although missing important events is upsetting, it is vital to eventually returning to a sense of normalcy.
“We need to observe these rules now so that we can all have something together later,” Gunnell said. “I’d urge my fellow students, whether they’re freshmen or seniors this year; you have to take this seriously. It’s not going to get any easier if we don’t do our part.”