By state Rep. Ryan Berman of Commerce Township 

Keeping Oakland County communities and residents safe has been my priority throughout my first legislative term in the Michigan House, but it has been especially brought into focus now – amidst what is quickly becoming the biggest sudden disruption of daily life our country has seen since the beginning of World War II.

What’s important to note is a pivotal difference with this particular foe. The coronavirus – or COVID-19 – is not an enemy unit we can see moving across a battlefield, or a terrorist openly daring us to double down on our personal liberties and go about our lives as we normally would out of patriotic principle. We can’t treat a pandemic that way, or we’ll be ineffective against it while possibly putting additional stress on our health care system.

We should heed the advice of medical experts and adhere the best we can to their suggestions in order to beat this back. Washing and sanitizing your hands, keeping frequently used surfaces clean and staying away from large groups is vitally important as this situation continues to evolve.

We continue to see cases of coronavirus steadily rise in Oakland County as testing has started to ramp up. This includes an individual at a West Bloomfield senior living center, where those who are statistically most vulnerable to the virus reside and interact.

It is widely expected that as testing continues to increase, so will the number of confirmed cases. The state will be releasing information on the number of confirmed cases statewide daily, and I commend the Oakland County Health Division for releasing exposure locations and dates connected to their first few cases. This is important information for people to have as they assess the situation and make efforts to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

Through my role as your representative in Lansing, I will continue to work with state experts to stay on top of this important issue. It will allow me to report back to local residents as soon as possible with pertinent information people need and deserve. I also feel it is important to be proactive to ensure people remain healthy and safe.

I recently supported a pair of emergency budget plans to address this situation, mitigate spread as much as possible and provide needed resources. The measures set aside a total of $150 million, providing $50 million for immediate needs such as monitoring and testing, $50 million for critical health care providers to expand capacity for coronavirus response and $50 million to keep in reserve for when it’s necessary. This was a proactive step to reduce risk and provide help to people who need it. I remain prepared to take additional sweeping action to confront this.

I am also in favor of passing legislation that will hold schools harmless in having to make up lost days due to closure. There is precedent for such a decision – as last year we voted to forgive four days that Michigan schools were closed from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, when the governor declared a state of emergency due to extreme cold. We must work with our children in the meantime to further their learning – even if it’s something as simple as reading a book with them.

There are going to be massive challenges ahead as we address this public health emergency. Health care and essential store workers in southeast Michigan and throughout the state are doing an incredible job working nearly around the clock to keep people safe and shelves stocked. As aggressive preventative measures to slow spread are enacted, people in affected industries are rightfully worried about their jobs, health and families. But we have endured in trying times together before, and I expect us to work together to do it again. I’m focused on leading those efforts for Oakland County residents.

State Rep. Ryan Berman, of Commerce Township, serves residents in the 39th District, which includes the city of Wixom, Commerce Township, a portion of West Bloomfield Township and the village of Wolverine Lake.