Waterford Today

Though Michigan led the region in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic, it appears as though the state has hit the point of diminishing returns with its lockdowns and restrictions that some say have been damaging to the state's economy.

Michigan is now starting to experience the same rise in cases as neighboring states, such as Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. 

Though some have praised Michigan for its pandemic response, it is potentially possible that the restrictions put in place by Michigan are doing more harm than good. States in the region have experienced a recent drop in cases, just as Michigan has, after coming off of all-time highs. The experience of Michigan during the pandemic is not all that different from its neighbors, despite what Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says.

An interview published by Gongwer News Services said, “Overall, Ms. Whitmer said it is clear the orders that shuttered or limited certain industries with an eye on places where indoor gathering is most common are working. While states like Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois are seeing continued sharp increases, the number of new cases in Michigan continues to fall."

"We all get credit for that because it doesn't happen with one person, it happens when the majority does it," she told Gongwer. "Every expert we consulted with about a month ago said we are going to see a Thanksgiving bump, and sure enough, as a nation, we have. We didn’t see that in Michigan because people did the right thing. It’s pretty incredible when you compare us to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois -- these are all neighboring states -- Wisconsin, who had a very different experience.”

The interview made it clear that Whitmer thought Michigan was doing a better job with COVID-19 protocols than its neighbors. Aside from the fact that the case numbers are not all that different, Michigan has done more damage to its economy and caused higher unemployment as a result of the restrictions.