Shelby Review

The battle against COVID-19 has essentially been a grassroots effort as state and national leaders, along with medical experts, continually evaluate the latest data and try to apply it to safety and protection protocols.

Some new information from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy may not seem so shocking at face value, but it leaves past actions subject to debate.The Bureau of Labor Statistics has learned from surveying businesses about their response to the pandemic that Michigan has had some of the strictest lockdown mandates in place under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The governor is loosening some of the lockdown orders as the state has learned that the toll on its economy was costly, while its impact on stemming the spread of the coronavirus is somewhat more questionable.

Michigan had one-third of its workforce subjected to the shutdown, second only to the state of Nevada. Nationally, 21% of the workforce fell victim to the government-mandated shutdowns. The Bureau found states have higher employment when governors force more businesses to close. The impact began in May and was still being felt in November, although the relationship between the two was not as strong.

The Mackinac Center found, when considering the lockdowns in relation with reported coronavirus deaths, closures of business are not as closely associated with the death rate as they are with unemployment. The Center is not certain what the association between the two may be, if there is one at all.

Given all of the unknowns about the coronavirus, particularly last spring, there were difficult choices to be made. Other states like Michigan that made more extreme decisions appear to have questionable results in preventing the health harms associated with the pandemic. But these decisions had clearer effects on the economy.

James Hohman of the Mackinac Center feels that the governor’s orders do not seem to have either rhyme or reason. But the past can be a useful tool for ensuring greater measures of success moving forward.

“These past few weeks, Michiganders across the state stepped up and did their part to slow the spread of COVID-19, and because of our collective hard work, we are now able to begin the steps to carefully lift some of the protocols we have in place,” Whitmer said on Dec. 18, according to Michigan.gov.

“I am encouraged by the progress we have made since early November and will continue to monitor the data closely during and after the holidays. One of the most important things Michiganders can do right now is make a plan to get the safe and effective vaccine as soon as it’s available to you. And as always: mask up, practice safe social distancing and avoid indoor gatherings where COVID-19 can easily spread from person to person. We will eradicate this virus together,” Whitmer told her constituents.