Legislator: Balanced strategy lifts Michigan’s economy, respects public health

State Rep. Douglas Wozniak, of Shelby Township, today announced the introduction of a House plan that should serve as a roadmap toward economic recovery for Michigan in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

The House Republican strategy calls for a rolling restart of Michigan’s economy while using a regionalized approach, recognizing the risk for COVID-19 varies by county.

“This plan respects public health across the state by realizing that every county is in a different position with this,” said Wozniak, who serves on the House Health Policy Committee. “That uniqueness must be respected. But there are areas of the state with a small amount of cases that can see people get back to work and have the ability to once again provide for themselves and their families. This can be done while adhering to strict safety protocols.”

The approach would include the creation of a transition task force to place counties into one of three tiers based on coronavirus activity and other factors such as hospitalization rates and capacity. Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties – which have nearly 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in the state – would be in the tier with strictest restrictions. Other counties would be placed in tiers with fewer restrictions.

The same task force would help determine which jobs and activities could be resumed safely, starting from the premise of federal CISA guidelines which in some cases are not as restrictive as the prohibitions now in place in Michigan. The task force would make frequent recommendations to the governor to reflect changes in coronavirus activity, allowing for any changes to be proactive instead of reactive.

“This process moves Michigan to a position of safe versus unsafe,” Wozniak said. “Slowly and responsibly getting parts of our state’s economy back online will help people get through this crisis from a financial standpoint while not jeopardizing their health or the health of others.”

###