SE Oakland News

Rep. Andrea Schroeder (R-Independence Township) recently announced that the Michigan House Republicans will soon introduce a plan to guide the state’s COVID-19 approach for the remainder of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Michigan House Republicans website.

A group of the state's House Republicans will introduce a plan that is designed to utilize science-based, county-level data to inform decisions focused on and determining appropriate COVID-19 responses within local communities while aiming to keep people healthy.

Schroeder called the plan a "good starting point" to partner with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and she believes that collaboration between the Legislature and the governor is vital, especially after the recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling struck down the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders on the grounds that they were unconstitutional.

“People expect and deserve all of state government to work together and do the right thing for Oakland County and the entire state of Michigan -- at all times, but especially during a health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic,” Schroeder told Michigan House Republicans. “This plan should be a good starting point for the Legislature and the governor to come together and improve the state’s response to COVID-19 moving forward -- keeping people healthy and re-energizing communities based on virus activity within individual counties. We must work together, and that work must begin with renewed passion and energy right now.”

Schroeder explained that the plan would allow public health officials the option to modify COVID-19 policies individually by county based on the following five scientific metrics and thresholds: case rate, positivity rate, surge and hospital capacity, sufficient personal protective equipment supply and ability to test for COVID-19.

Using these metrics as guidelines, health officials could potentially loosen state limits on gathering sizes, restaurant capacity and other measures if the numbers are below acceptable limits or implement intervention strategies to immediately go into effect if the numbers exceed the threshold limits. Measures would be taken at the county level without affecting measures already in place in other counties. 

“This plan takes politics right out of the equation -- because politics should never play any role in the decisions that affect our health, lives and livelihoods, like the response to COVID-19 does,” Schroeder said, according to Michigan House Republicans. “This plan offers clear guidance to move the state forward based solely on science.”