By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis have some Berrien County officials crying foul. They say her orders and directives have been too restrictive for Southwest Michigan residents and have arbitrarily hurt different businesses and restricted individuals’ rights.
The governor has issued nearly five dozen executive orders since mid-March when she took action to close schools, colleges and universities and switch to remote learning in an effort to combat the coronavirus. She issued her “stay home, stay safe” executive order March 23 and extended most of those provisions in an order last Friday.
The April 24 executive order’s provisions run through May 15. People are still asked to stay home as much as possible and are now ordered to wear face masks or other form of face covering when they go into enclosed spaces such as stores. A few more types of businesses can open including landscapers, garden centers and bike shops.
A number of local township boards in Berrien County expressed displeasure with Whitmer’s March 23 “stay home, stay safe” order in the days before the April 24 order. In addition, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners authorized sending a letter to the governor with their concerns.
The letter asked the governor to move forward with an objective plan of action for re-opening the state’s economy in conjunction with input from local governments, and with continued attention to public health and safety. As has been the case in recent weeks, commissioners held a virtual meeting with everyone appearing remotely.
Specifically, the letter sent to Gov. Whitmer asks that more rural counties like Berrien County be treated differently than large urban areas that have been hardest hit. “Our region is dependent on agriculture and tourism,” the letter stated. “It is important that we preserve these economic engines and the jobs that are currently locked down.”
“What is necessary for Southeast Michigan is not proving to be best for Southwest Michigan, the Upper Peninsula and other regions. Local and regional flexibility is now appropriate, along with the ongoing need for responsible behavior including social distancing, good hygiene and personal protective devices for certain business and commercial facilities.”
“Our businesses and jobs are essential to Berrien County and the State of Michigan,” the letter added. “If we and similarly situated counties are held to the same standards as the handful of counties in which COVID-19 is prevalent, there will likely be irreparable damage to our economies and to the entire state.”
The letter concludes by noting that Berrien County and other border counties along the state line face the challenge of competing with Indiana and Ohio stores that are allowed to sell items prohibited for sale in Michigan.
Berrien Township near Berrien Springs was among the local governments passing resolutions asking Whitmer to reconsider her executive order. The Berrien Township Board approved their resolution April 21.
Township Supervisor Bryan Bixby noted that Oronoko Township passed a similar resolution at their meeting on April 14 and he’d heard that at least 10 other townships in Berrien County were among those planning to approve resolutions.
“Oronoko Township did one similar at their meeting opposing what the governor did,” Bixby said. “We want a more realistic approach. I don’t th9ink we should be put in the same basket as Wayne County. I’ve heard that hospitals are saying people died of COVID because then they’ll be paid for those deaths.”
Bixby said he felt it was important to pass the resolution to send a message to the governor. “Maybe if more people speak, she’ll listen,” he said.
He said he was worried about landscapers and gardeners not being considered essential. “They are in essence farmers and they are essential,” he said. “I’m also worried with the growing season coming up that we will have people come and buy what we grow.”
Other board members said they felt the governor has overreached her authority and noted that all elected officials have taken an oath to uphold the state and federal constitutions. They stressed the need for common sense in the executive orders and not arbitrary decisions.
The resolution had five points on the theme of opposing Whitmer’s “one size fits all” approach. The first point noted that some shuttered businesses can in fact operate in accordance with federal safety guidelines and that rural and suburban areas shouldn’t have the same restrictions as densely populated urban areas.
The second point asked Whitmer to develop solutions that both protect people from COVID and preserve individual liberties. Thirdly, employers and workers who can maintain social distancing and mitigate the spread should be able to open up.
The fourth point asked state legislators to represent the people and oppose the governor’s actions. The fifth and last point urged Whitmer, prosecutors and law enforcement officials to balance enforcement of the “heavy-handed” orders with upholding people’s individual rights and liberties.
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