Michigan governor extends stay-at-home order through June 12

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) extended her state’s stay-at-home order through June 12 as the Wolverine State continues to grapple with its coronavirus outbreak.

Whitmer, who has faced a litany of protests over her restrictions, signed an executive order extending the stay-at-home order past its scheduled May 28 expiration and mandating that venues like theaters, gyms and casinos remain shuttered.

The order comes a day after Whitmer began relaxing certain restrictions, allowing social gatherings of 10 people or fewer and permitting retail businesses to reopen to customers for appointment-only shopping. She said further measures intended to ease restrictions could be forthcoming as warranted by data on the coronavirus.

Large gatherings are still not allowed, and people are required to wear masks or face coverings in closed public spaces. Barber shops, hair salons, sporting and entertainment venues, gyms, casinos and more remain closed.

Whitmer has faced pushback from protesters and Republican lawmakers over her restrictions, with armed demonstrators entering the state Capitol and the GOP filing a lawsuit after she extended Michigan’s state of emergency earlier this month. That lawsuit was dismissed Thursday.

Whitmer maintained that the measures she’s put in place have been helpful in fighting against the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 54,000 people in the state and killed more than 5,100.

“The measures put in place by my executive orders have been effective: the number of new confirmed cases each day is slowly dropping. Although the virus remains aggressive and persistent—on May 21, 2020, Michigan reported 53,510 confirmed cases and 5,129 deaths— the strain on our health care system has begun to relent, even as our testing capacity has increased,” she wrote in her executive order.

Whitmer maintained it was not time to significantly relax restrictions, saying "we are not out of the woods yet."

"If we’re going to lower the chance of a second wave and continue to protect our neighbors and loved ones from the spread of this virus, we must continue to do our part by staying safer at home," she said in a statement first reported by The Detroit Free Press.