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Debate continues over stay-at-home orders across the country

Posted at 12:26 AM, Apr 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-19 00:26:19-04

(WXYZ) — Protests erupted over stay-at-home mandates in several states over the weekend, including, Austin, Texas and Columbus, Ohio.

Earlier this week, thousands rallied against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her executive orders at the state capitol. The disruption caused some employees at a nearby hospital to miss shift change. President Donald Trump would prefer states reopen on May 1.

“I just think that some of the governors have gotten carried away,” President Trump said at the White House on Saturday.

He said he's getting along with Whitmer, but believers her stay-at-home order is an overreach.

“Don’t buy paint. Don’t buy roses. She’s got all these crazy things,” he said. “Some of them are being unreasonable, I really believe that.”

Whitmer said she wants to ease restrictions, but she said the time and execution is critical to saving lives.

"We want to make sure we are smart and that we don't have a second wave," said Whitmer during an interview with Detroit Regional Chamber.

Speaker of House Lee Chatfield sent a letter to the Whitmer concerning the mandate. He claimed the order, "...infringes on constitutional rights without a clear and compelling justification..."

On Saturday, more than 2,200 Michiganders have died of COVID-19.

"Mark Campbell was recently at the White House and he talked about going up north with his family for a ski break," Whitmer said. "He figured no one was there he'd be safe. He got sick with COVID-19. The only thing he could think about was he touched a gas pump when he was filling up. That's exactly what we're talking about not spreading COVID-19."