Details from the governor’s office:

“To combat the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, Governor Whitmer signed the ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ executive order. For at least the next three weeks, all Michigan businesses and operations must temporarily suspend in-person operations that are not necessary to sustain or protect life, and all Michiganders must stay in their homes unless they’re a part of that critical infrastructure workforce, engaged in an outdoor activity, or performing tasks necessary to the health and safety of themselves or their family, like going to the hospital or grocery store.”

BUSINESSES THAT REMAIN OPEN FOR IN-PERSON WORK MUST TAKE AGGRESSIVE STEPS TO MINIMIZE THE VIRUS’S SPREAD. THEY MUST:
• Promote remote work to the fullest extent possible;
• Restrict the number of workers present in-person on the job;
• Keep employees at least six feet from one another to the maximum extent possible and enable social distancing for customers who are standing in line; and
• Employ any other social distancing practices and mitigation measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state has also launched a new website designed to help provide guidance about essential workers and businesses in response to some confusion about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order. Click here for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s list of essential workers.

Additionally, Gov. Whitmer has issued several executive orders in an effort to protect Michigan families. For a complete list and more specific information on each executive order and to ensure you have the most up-to-date information on newly issued directives, visit this website.

Information on this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. For those who have questions about the state’s actions to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, please call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday sent a letter to the president requesting a major disaster declaration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If granted in full, among other things, a major disaster declaration would help the state provide meals to families who need them and provide rental assistance and temporary housing to families. It would also allow the state to provide counseling and therapy for Michigan residents whose mental health is affected by COVID-19, whether they or a loved one gets sick or hospitalized. Additionally, the declaration would provide much-needed additional capacity and funding to the state in the event Michigan needs to quickly set up field hospitals or other facilities.

Click here to read more.

Gov. Whitmer on Thursday signed Executive Order 2020-25, which will allow pharmacists to dispense emergency refills of prescriptions for up to 60 days’ worth of supply for patients and require insurers to cover these emergency refills during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The order will also allow pharmacists to dispense COVID-19 treatments according to government-approved protocols.

The order takes effect immediately and ends on April 22 but could be renewed as needed. More information can be found here.

In recent weeks, the state’s various business and economic coalitions have worked with the governor to secure resources to businesses struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdowns.

The Michigan Strategic Fund recently approved a critical new program called the Michigan Small Business Relief Program, which will provide up to $10 million in grant funding and $10 million in low-interest loans to provide emergency relief to businesses directly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak beginning April 1.

The grants and loans under the program will support businesses facing drastic reductions in cash flow and the continued support of their workforce and may be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar expenses that occur in the ordinary course of business.

Additional support can be found at michiganbusiness.org/COVID19 or by calling 888.522.0103. There is also a resource on the page specific to employers and workers that businesses and employees may find helpful.

The program is now accepting applications, with key information available at michiganbusiness.org/COVID19.

211: 2-1-1 connects you with thousands of nonprofit and government resources in your area such as food pantries, bill pay assistance, family services, utility assistance and more. The 211 system is available by dialing 2-1-1 on your phone or by going to mi211.org.

MI Bridges: 
Benefits and coverage through the Michigan Department of Health and Human services such as food assistance, health care, and state emergency relief. You may access MI Bridges at michigan.gov/mibridges.

The state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency has been receiving an extremely high volume of calls and online submissions and the system is currently drastically overwhelmed. Please be patient as necessary website improvements are being conducted and additional resources are made available.

Click here for a fact sheet for claiming unemployment benefits.

Guidelines for unemployment benefits were temporarily expanded to cover the following:

You may file an unemployment claim at michigan.gov/uia.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has launched a statewide hotline to respond to health-related questions about COVID-19 and to direct residents, providers and more to the right resources in their local communities and other state government departments. The hotline is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 1-888-535-6136.