Washington – In the 10 months that the coronavirus has spread across the United States, governors have gathered to fight a “ common enemy, ” who are leaning on each other to break the pandemic, said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Ohio Governor , Mike DeWine, as they reflected on the challenges. they were faced with addressing the extraordinary public health crisis.
“I know this is not the time that any of us governors would have chosen to participate, and yet our job was to take up this challenge and do what we had to do to protect the people we serve, Whitmer, a Democrat, said in an interview with DeWine, a Republican, about “Face the Nation.” “Instead of a broader national strategy, it was really up to us to navigate. And I think we have a lot of it together. have done.”
Governors spearheaded the response to the pandemic, carrying out orders to stop the spread of the virus as they grappled with the economic ramifications of the one-time public health crisis. While states have taken measures to varying degrees to limit the spread of the coronavirus, no state has been spared.
In Michigan, there have been more than 515,000 confirmed infections and more than 12,680 deaths. In Ohio, the number of confirmed cases is 664,000, and the death toll is more than 8,400. Nationally, the number of confirmed cases stands at 19 million, and more than 332,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Both Whitmer and DeWine characterized the coronavirus as a “common enemy” that united governors of neighboring states have as they pooled resources and expertise to combat the pandemic.
“This virus doesn’t stop at the state line. It doesn’t stop at the party line. This is a common enemy,” Whitmer said. “And that’s how we’ve always looked at it, trying to learn from the best science. Because this is a new virus, we’ve learned an incredible amount. But when I share information with Governor DeWine and vice versa, I get the benefit of the Cleveland Clinic and all the experts he talks to, and he gets the benefit of the University of Michigan and all the experts we talk to. ”
DeWine said Governors in the Midwest are now working together on strategies to prioritize which populations get coronavirus vaccines first. He said that while there is consensus among those who were in the first group – health workers and nursing home residents – he expects there will be splits when it comes to identifying those who will be next to take their photos.
Both DeWine and Whitmer have been the target of extreme vitriol and threats due to the mandates they imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Six men are facing federal charges for plotting to kidnap Whitmer due to her limitations.
Whitmer said every governor has been hit back for doing both too much and not enough, but said the “right thing is to follow the science and put people’s lives first because we can and will recover from the economic downturn of COVID -19 that has run amok in our country. “
“What we can’t do is, you know, bring someone back to life,” she said.
DeWine, meanwhile, said it is “understandable” that people are upset given the length of the restrictions they have had to adhere to.
“People are tired of it, so I get it. And we have asked people to make sacrifices,” he said. “But my message to the people of Ohio remains: we must do everything we can to save lives and the hope is there. The vaccine is here. Now it will take a few months, you know, before everyone gets it.” “But this is not the time to withdraw. This is not the time to give up.”